


My Hero

by TheAmazingSakumachan



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, ワンパンマン | One-Punch Man
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Implicit Sexual References, Love Triangle, One Night Stands, Tsundere, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 08:04:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 61,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10681143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAmazingSakumachan/pseuds/TheAmazingSakumachan
Summary: Saitama and Genos receive a box of fan mail. Meanwhile, a dreamy-eyed maiden hopes that her number one hero will read her letter. (One-Shot)





	My Hero

**Author's Note:**

> This came out weirder and longer than expected. But hey- an idea comes and my fingers move. Enjoy if you can~ ; w ; I know that it's waaaaaaay too long but it just kind of happened! As a warning, try to read it with an open mind because I wrote it the way that I envisioned an anime episode featuring this story would be like...if that makes sense _ I hope that it's not too hard to follow!

Genos was almost speechless from the anticipation that was hidden behind his stony, amber eyes at the sheer number of letters inside of the huge, box that was airmailed from the Hero's Association. Saitama whistled to express that he was rather impressed. "Wow," the older of the two young men's tone did not change from its usual casual as he commented at the small mountain of fan mail, "that's quite the haul this time."  
The cyborg gave a curt nod as he began to sort and sift through them, "You are right." He replied as he meticulously created two separate piles: one for him and one for mentor. "But we both have much more active lately so it is to be expected."  
Although he did not get his hopes up, Saitama smiled a bit and asked with a small hint of excitement to his voice, "Hey, any for me this time?" Although the letters were numerous, Genos' spectacular reading ability made the sorting job simpler and quicker than any human would be able to.  
"There is one, sensei," Genos replied as he turned away from his pile of fan mail to hand his mentor the one piece of mail that was addressed to him.  
"Thanks, dude," Saitama said graciously as he accepted and gazed down at his letter with a bit of fascination.  
Genos was as anxious as his mentor to find out the contents of the letter, so much that he paid his own mail no mind for the time being. He was on edge from remembering a time not long ago when his sensei received a terrible, angry letter that accused him of being a "cheater". If need be, Genos was ready to incinerate the letter if its contents were of the unsavory kind.  
For a few moments, the two of them remained silent and motionless. Genos sat by his mound of mail and stared up at his master, who stared at the letter wordlessly. A small bead of sweat ran down the cyborg's face, "uh…Sensei? Are you going to open it?"  
Saitama's hardened expression then softened up to his usually goofy one as he placed his hand behind his hand like a skittish boy, "Well…" He admitted with a small, almost embarrassed smile. "I don't know if I can."  
His mentor's reply instantly put the cyborg on edge as he jumped to his feet, "Why is that?! Do you believe the letter to be of ill intent?! I will dispose of it im-"  
Saitama then held his hand defensively at his disciple, "Cool it, Genos," He did not like the blonde's hands were already burning hot, ready to fire and surely blast a huge gaping hole into his apartment. "It's not like that at all, " Saitama explained a smile reappearing on his face when Genos visibly calmed down and lowered his offenses. "This letter-" The self-proclaimed hero-for-fun then held up the letter to Genos' face and elaborated, "-is obviously from a girl," he finished calmly.  
"Huh?" Genos blinked, almost is bewilderment, "A girl, you say?" The cyborg then examined the letter closely. It was encased in a lovely, feminine pink envelope with a lilac-colored floral design at the edges. The flap was sealed shut by bright-red, heart-shaped sticker. "I see…" He felt relief from knowing that but that relief was instantly followed by confusion. "But sensei, why would you not want to open a letter for such a reason? Do you prefer me-?"  
Saitama stared at Genos blankly and interjected with a deadpanned tone," Don't even joke about that, dude." His expression then turned to normal as he explained, "This is my first and probably last letter from a fangirl. It feels like I should cherish it by never opening it." The bald hero then silently wondered if he should encase the letter in its own mini-shrine.  
Genos sweat dropped," But sensei…I'm sure that if she is a fan now, she will continue to write you letters…"  
Something visibly clicked inside of Saitama's head, "you're right! I'll read it then!"  
Genos faithfully sat down in front of his mentor and bowed his head," please read it aloud, sensei!"  
Saitama nodded as he peeled the sticker from the envelope's flap, flipped it open, and finally freed the letter from its encasement. "Here goes… Dear Chrome Dome-" Genos lifted his head and gasped as Saitama's eyes lit up angrily and his other free hand formed a fist, "WHAT KIND OF FANGIRL IS THIS?!"  
"Sensei, you must calm down or you'll ruin your first fan letter!"  
"You're right…" Saitama replied through gritted teeth as he glared down at the letter and continued to read in a hissing voice, "I mean, Saitama-sama…" his expression instantly returned to normal when it realized that the bald insult was a joke. "You probably don't remember me but it's me: Kagome." Both heroes froze at the mention of the sender's name.  
After a few moments of silence, Genos finally asked his mentor, "aren't you going to read her letter, Sensei?"  
The bald hero's face turned into a blank, almost incredulous expression, "She could have just told me in person."  
Genos rubbed his chin thoughtfully and speculated aloud, "Perhaps she has something on her mind that she cannot say to you in person."  
"This is Kagome we're talkin' about, right?" he asked before continuing, "She talks to me almost as much as you do. This is probably another prank of hers," he concluded dismissively, but while smiling fondly at the thought of her. The hero soon turned his attention back to the sheet of parchment in his hand. "You must be wondering why I'm writing to you," he read the next sentence. Ah. She hit the nail on the head without even being in the room. "Well, I've wanted to tell you something very important for a while now. We never seem to speak to each other properly for long and this is much easier for me than to face you in person… You see, it all started that day at the café…"  
And this Saitama read the letter aloud and allowed its contents to take him and Genos on a trip to the recent past…  
________________________________________  
Kagome sighed as she leaned against a shining, wooden counter. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared out at of large, glass windows with boredom. It was 1:00PM on a Wednesday and most people were still in classes or at work. Meanwhile, here she was, working the mid-day shift at a small cafe in the middle of downtown City Z. She was like the other young women who ran the grunt work of the establishment. They were all college students who needed some employment for tuition and other essentials. The job paid well for being an entry-level one. Her shifts were also tailored around her class schedule.  
The only two problems were how boring it could get during slow hours and…  
The familiar bell jingles of a customer entering the premises caught her and the rest of her colleague's attentions. She and the other young women exchanged challengingly glance for a brief moment. All of them were bored of out their minds and looked ready to duke it out for the opportunity to have something to do.  
However, Kagome was the quickest and beat the rest of the crew to the punch as she jumped over the counter to meet and greet their first customer in forty-four minutes. Kagome smiled brightly as she approached the door and coyly straightened her frilly, white apron. "Welcome, my Masters~" She giggled in voice so high and a manner so cutesy that the inner-Kagome inside of her head was bawling from embarrassment. "Table for-?"  
That was when she opened her eyes and noted how the customer were actually a pair of customers. Odd ones. One was a blonde, rather handsome cyborg while the other was a man clad in a ridiculous, yellow body suit. "two…?" She finished, her cutesy tone broke into one of uncertainty as the older man gave her a deadpan stare.  
"That's cringey," he stated bluntly before turning to his company. "Genos, why would you bring me here?!"  
The cyborg replied earnestly, "My apologies, sensei. I assume that treating you to a maid café would be to your liking since you seem to enjoy mang-"  
The yellow clad man then pointed directly at Kagome, to which she blinked as he shouted," Just because I like manga doesn't mean that I'm a pervert who likes things like this!" The young woman was dressed in traditionally black-and-white themed French maid uniform with the main dress being black and the white frilly hem of her petticoat reaching her mid-thighs. The black dress was complemented by shiny black dress shoes, white lacy stockings, and an intricately crafted headdress on top of the black crown of her head. Everything about the woman screamed moe and for Saitama, it was way over the top.  
That struck a nerve in the young woman. It was her turn for her eyes to be set ablaze. She swatted his finger away, causing the two men to turn their attention fully to her. The indignant maid then stood within less than a centimeter away from the offending man. She glared up at his fiercely and was not daunted by their height difference. "Even if you're not into moe, you have no right to be so rude about it!" She lectured him.  
"Say what now?" The manga fan asked blankly, wondering why this woman was seething at him.  
Normally anyone who dared to challenge his sensei would be met by Genos' protectiveness as his loyal disciple, but this small woman was an exception. There was something unintimidating about a beautiful young woman in a maid outfit-. But it could have been anything from her youthful face to her feminine curves…or her lack of height.  
Kagome visibly looked the man up and down. He was clad a tight, bright yellow body suit complete with red boots, gloves, a cape, and even some sort of special belt with a buckle. "Hmph," She huffed while continuing to glare, "You claim to not be a pervert but you walk around in public wearing that getup?" She asked pointedly. "I may be a cringey maid but at least I still have decency," she crossed her arms over chest and added, "baldy."  
A vein appeared on the man's forehead and Kagome smiled cattishly, satisfied that she struck a nerve. Then suddenly, it felt like time had stood completely still for her when she noticed how the man's perfectly bald head reflected the afternoon sunlight like a mirror. 'That head… It feels like I've seen it somewhere before' she thought to herself. But before any more words could be exchanged, the ground began to shake and her colleagues began to scream in terror.  
Kagome too squeaked when she lost her footing and fell to her butt unceremoniously. "What's going on here?!" She shouted over the booming and screaming of her colleagues as they ran out of the lobby and back towards the employee lounge.  
"Sensei," The blonde cyborg stated in a grave tone. "I detect a high-level energy just outside this establishment."  
The "sensei" nodded as he looked at his comrade while re-adjusting and tightening his red gloves, "Right. Let's take it out then find some real food."  
Kagome glowered at the man from her spot on the floor, "Are you implying that our food isn't real?!" The young woman briefly forgot that something possibly dangerous was about to occur. She could not stand this man who was casually insulting her and her workplace. Sure, it was an embarrassing job but she came to love it because of the friendships that she formed with her fellow maids, her manager, and even the regular customers.  
"Oh, you're still?" The yellow-clad baldly asked curiously as he turned to look at her fallen form. "It'll probably get dangerous so you should find somewhere to hide and be safe, "he told her calmly.  
Kagome blinked, taken aback by the man's sudden change in tone and attitude. She stared speechlessly as the two men exited through the front of the building to face to incoming danger head on. "What's with those two…?" She wondered aloud to no one in particular.  
(Outside)  
Saitama and Genos stared blankly at the creature who appeared before them several meters away from the maid café. "You've…got to be kidding me," Saitama said blankly.  
"It would seem that there are all sorts of monsters in this world, sensei."  
It was fuzzy, gray, and the size of a kitten.  
Actually, it was a kitten.  
The monster flew from the sky and landed gracefully in front of them on all-fours was a small, gray, and green-eyed kitten. "It's a cat," Saitama said in half bored, half disappointed tone as they watched it lick one of its paw then seemingly groom the hair on top of its head.  
"This cat is the source of the high level of energy though, "Genos pointed out, his face remaining serious and cold as he stared the creature down and awaited its attack.  
That was when the kitten stopped grooming itself and looked directly at them, "that is correct." It said in a ridiculously high-pitched, cute voice. "I am no ordinary kitten!" It announced as it stood on its hind legs. "I am-!"  
The creature's self-introduction was interrupted by a girlish coo and a cry of, "so adorable~!"  
"What?!" Genos asked as he and Saitama turned around to see the spit-fire maid from earlier standing a couple of meters away from them, her eyes visibly sparkling and her cheeks flushed in admiration for the cute creature. "She did not evacuate like you suggested, sensei!"  
"Ehhh…" Saitama said boredly while picking his nose and looking back at the "threat".  
"Ahem…" the kitten cleared its throat and continued to announce its presence, "as I was saying, I am Bad Kitty! A monster born from the regrets of a manga-loving, socially reclusive geek who never lost his virginity!"  
The brilliance in Kagome's eyes dulled as she asked sharply and looked at Saitama, "So you birthed this cat?"  
"Hey, don't lump me in the same category as hat thing!" Was his protest as he turned his full attention back to the young woman who stared at his pointedly, as if the entire situation was his fault. The bickering trio was unaware of how the now-angry cat creature was slowly growing in size behind them until it overshadowed them completely. The three of them turned around and looked up at the creature that was easily the size of skyscraper. Its cutesy façade seemed to have melted away as its muzzle extended and jutted out large canines and fangs. Its tiny paws were now adorned by claws the length of a street sign and as thick as a car.  
"STOP INTERRUPTING!" The creature roared furiously, "I AM BAD KITTY! AND I AM HERE TO (BEEP) GORGEOUS MAAAAAAAADS!"  
"Oh," Saitama said casually as he turned to smile at Kagome. "That's not so bad. Is he your type?"  
Kagome growled and shook her fist at the hero, "as if, PERVERT!"  
"YOU DARE IGNORE ME?!" Bad Kitty raged as he quickly swatted at them, his paw moving much quicker than what one would guess from his massive size. Genos and Saitama easily scattered and dodged the attack with the maid in the latter's arms.  
Saitama simply landed on top of a car with the maid in his arms, not caring too much that he muddied the sheen of its obvious recent wax job. "Here," he stated while easily setting the young woman down on her feet with one hand. She stared up at him with a dumbstruck expression and her lips ajar in awe. "You…saved me…" She pointed out.  
"Of course, it's my job. He replied calmly. "I'm a hero for fun after all."  
Kagome gasped softly and her eyes widened as the reason for this man's odd state of dress dawned upon, "I see… Well, thank you." She said in a small smile. Saitama blinked as he stared at her for a moment, wondering if her change in demeanor was because she found out that he was a hero.  
"Hey, Genos!" The bald hero called over to his disciple. "You mind taking care of this one for me?" He asked before gesturing to the maid still standing by his side, despite the imminent danger surrounding her. "This one needs babysitting."  
The blonde merely nodded and made a mad dash at the monstrous creature. Genos could tell by the look on Saitama's face that the man was not excited about this monster's presence and did not want to bother wasting time on it. Even though he was using the young woman as an excuse, this disciple saw right through his sensei's façade. Genos nodded to himself, finally, it was time to show his sensei and the world what he was made of!  
"Stand back, meido-san!" The cyborg shouted as he jumped in front of the cat creature to face it head on. He began to charge a massive amount of fire power," I will incinerate this-!"  
Before the enthused young man could complete his sentence, the giant cat creature flicked him away like an insect and bellowed at the sight of his metallic body crashing into the maid café not too far away. "You talk too much!"  
While Saitama did not look fazed or concerned for his comrade, the young maid openly did, "Oh no! He's been hurt!" she cried out as she run from his side and towards the direction of Genos' crash landing.  
"Oh boy…" Saitama mumbled when he saw the cat creature's sight turn to the maid who was running adjacent to him. "This one really does need babysitting." The yellow-suited hero then picked at and groomed his ear with a pinky.  
"Ahaha…" The creature bellowed as he bent down to peer inside of the huge gaping hole in the maid café. "You should be more concerned about yourself, girly…" The creature taunted as he spotted the petite woman kneeled beside a pile of rubble that buried Genos alive.  
Despite her fears, Kagome ignored the cackling monster as she threw brick up on brick aside until she unearthed the cyborg. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked with horror etched as clear as day across her face when she discovered the cyborg to be still alive but cracked and broken here and there.  
His eyes flickered but he opened them nonetheless, "You shouldn't be here…" He told as he attempted to sit up and regain his composure. "It's too dangerous for a civilian."  
Kagome frowned as she wrapped his arm around her shoulder and told him with determination in her voice, "civilian or not, I'm here to rescue you!"  
The blonde shook his head,"I am an S-rank class hero. It is my duty to protec-"  
Kagome glared at him, "Listen, buddy. It doesn't matter who registered as a hero or not in situations like this. People are supposed to help other!"  
Getting his head bitten off by the young woman seemed to have quieted down but the peace did not last long. As soon as she turned them around to escape, she came face-to-face with a gigantic claw. "Down!" She called as she pushed Genos to the floor and dove on top of him protectively. The blonde's eyes widened as his face was stuffed full of her ample, soft breasts. Too afraid to move from her current position and not knowing what to do next, Kagome laid there on top of her charge. This would have been the perfect time for them to be rescued by that yellow hero guy. "Jeez, where is that Sensei Baldy when you need-?!"  
Before she could complete her sentence, a loud sonic boom was heard from outside, followed by the sound of shower of squishy organs and blood raining down from the sky. "I'm guessing…we're saved…?" Kagome asked Genos but she paid him no mind since her attention was focused on the lanky figure who casually waltzed through the hole in the maid café. Kagome glared at him," you're slow."  
Saitama blinked when he saw the compromising position that Genos and Kagome were in. The maid was completely straddling the cyborg with her huge breasts smothering his face. "And you're fast," the bald hero replied nonchalantly.  
"What…?" Kagome blinked and cocked her head to the side for a moment, unsure of what he meant by that until she looked down and realized what she was doing… She shrieked as her face instantly turned bright red and she jumped to her feet, "I-It's not like that, you shameless pervert!" She exclaimed while waving her hands around frantically, "I was protecting him!"  
"Right…" Saitama replied before looking down at the cyborg who laid down scarily still and stiff on the floor, "Genos, buddy, you still alive? Did her boobs suffocate you?"  
"You really are a pervert!"  
He ignored the young woman's accusation as he peered over and down at Genos' face. He was indeed alive and breathing. However, something was clearly off about him as his eyes were wider than usual and his mouth was ajar. An unusual expression of shock seemed permanently plastered on his face. "Did you blow a gasket or something?" Saitama asked curiously.  
The cyborg suddenly blinked and was brought back to reality. He sat up and stated seriously, "Once again, my life has been saved by you, Saitama-sensei." He then turned his gaze upon the maid who was staring at him as worriedly as his sensei was. "And to you, meido-san, who risked her life to-"  
Kagome sighed and cut in, "Sorry to interrupt but my name is Kagome, not meido-san. Use that."  
Genos looked a bit taken aback and then nodded as he finished," Kagome-san, you risked your life to protect my own. Thank you."  
Saitama then scratched his cheek, "That's nice and all but can we go now? I'm starving."  
To Kagome's surprise, the cracked and broken cyborg got to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Yes, sensei," he replied dutifully, like a loyal dog. She guessed that he really did not need her help after all. She gasped sharply when the duo turned to leave.  
"HOLD IT!" She screamed as she desperately grabbed onto Saitama's cape to hold him back.  
The hero blinked as they turned and looked at her. "What now?" He asked. Of course. she was not strong enough to really hold him against his will but he was just the type of guy who rolled with it.  
Kagome hardened her expression and prayed that her face did not betray how she felt inside and portray her thoughts. "You can't leave yet!" She told him. "You need to help me repair the damages caused here!" She explained in a shaky, desperate tone.  
"Uhhh… Put it on my tab?" Saitama asked.  
"We don't do that here!"  
"Okay, goodbye!" He replied quickly as he turned away again, only to find that the woman tightened her grip on his cape.  
"You're not going anywhere!" Kagome huffed and gave his cape a yank, though it did not budge him in the slightest.  
The pang of hunger in his stomach meant that enough was enough.  
"Cut it out, we're busy!"  
"Please, Kagome-san," Genos began, trying to play mediator between the two. Never before had he seen anyone get under his sensei's skin so much in one sitting. This woman seemed more interactive with him than any other civilian. "My sensei is a very busy man-"  
"There's something that I need to talk to you about though!" Kagome insisted while giving the cape another tug.  
"Okay," within the blink of an eye Saitama turned around and had his hands on the hem of Kagome's apron. "Let's see how you like it." The superhuman hero gave the frail piece of cloth a tug. His state of annoyance seemed to have made him forget to hold back more because what he thought was a small tug had enough force to rip and tear off every piece of clothing that the young woman had one that day. "Oops," his face returned to normal as the air grew quiet.  
The young woman was left standing as in nothing but her black shoes and white maid headband. Her breath hitched in her throat as her brain struggled to keep up with the sensation that her body felt and the blurs that her eyes missed. It took four whole seconds her to register what had just happened…  
Kagome screamed and curled into a protective ball to save her decency, though it was far too late for her to save face with the two men who had seen her everything. "Y-You bastards! STOP LOOKING!" She seethed when she noticed that neither men tore their eyes away from her form.  
It was only then that Genos' faces flushed as he was brought back to reality and he covered his eyes, "I-I'm sorry, Kagome-san!"  
"Yeah, "Saitama added in a tone that did not sound sorry at all. It was a tone so casual that it felt uncaring. "My bad," he added.  
"Your BAD?!" Kagome seethed as she scooched herself into a corner when she spotted a crowd of nosy people beginning to form outside. "How am I supposed to go home like THIS?!" Her face was incredibly flushed as opposed to her lightly tanned skin. Her cheeks were puffed full of hot air as she pouted and glared at the man who seemed to infuriate her so.  
"Uhhh..." Saitama looked up at the ceiling for a moment before, "Good question," he commented.  
"Sensei," Genos began while making sure to avoid both Saitama's and Kagome's eyes, "We must do something. It would be very problematic if a young woman were to travel around in such a state."  
For a moment, the young woman squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, as if being unable to see and hear the two men would shut out the reality of the situation. It was an embarrassingly and unbelievable reality that she thought only happened in the ecchi anime that she sometimes found herself watching. 'This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn- Huh?' Her inner mantra was cut short by the sound of unbuckling, cloth flapping, and then the feeling of being covered in something soft.  
Her blue eyes shot open and she was surprised to find that she could not see the background of the café. It was nothing but a white cloth surrounding her. It was like being in bed, sitting beneath her cozy blankets. Kagome then shook her head and nuzzled her way out of the white depths. It was then that she found herself staring up at a cape-less Saitama.  
"You can borrow this," he concluded with a small smile and a surprisingly gentle pat to her head.  
Despite the hero's smile, Kagome frowned in return but accepted the offering. She hugged it tightly around her form like a curtain to hide her naked body from the world. She was so embarrassed that she felt like she was going to die right then and there. The young woman glared at the bald man whose face showed no remorse for shredding her uniform and leaving her in the nude in public. She pulled the cape closer and allowed the lower part of her face to sink into its depths.  
________________________________________  
"kind of nice" Saitama read the line casually, despite how intimate it was. "I didn't realize it back then but the scent of your cape made me feel so relaxed. It was a manly mixture of sweat, musk, battle, and you."  
Genos perked up at the description that she wrote of his sensei's cape. 'Manly scent… It is pheromones that attracts Kagome to sensei so…' he opened his notebook and began taking notes. He inwardly concluded that he would need to work hard to become as worthy of a man as his sensei was!  
"I know that it sounds weird but…" Saitama paused in his reading to criticize the writer. "If she knows that it sounds weird, then why write it?"  
Genos then placed his pen down onto the table and looked at his sensei, "It is because Kagome wants to share everything with you."  
Part of the reason why I was so angry is because everything you did that made me feel so flustered.  
From insulting my job to saving my life to ripping my clothes parts…I wasn't expecting any of it.  
You took me by surprise in a few minutes more than anyone else has in a long time.  
Honestly, I didn't know what to say, how to feel, or how to react, especially when...  
...you didn't seem to recognize me at all.  
________________________________________  
"Eh?" Kagome blinked as another blush spread across her cheeks, "You're taking me home too?!" She could not believe this guy! He had crossed so many lines with her today and now he thought that she would let him walk her home?!  
"I mean, even I would feel bad if I made a naked girl walk home alone," the bald hero explained with a small wave of his hand to emphasize his words.  
Genos nodded in agreement, finally ready to face the pair after he recollected his composure, "Kagome-san, Saitama-sensei is a great hero and could not live with himself if he did not see you home safely," he assured her with a balled up, iron fist that showed his vigor for praising his mentor.  
Kagome sweat dropped then gave Saitama a sideways glance of suspicion, "Is that true?"  
The interrogated then laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head, "Actually, I wanted to make sure that you give my cape back~" he admitted shamelessly.  
{SLAP!}  
Kagome stomped out of the café while clutching the cape close to her body and nearly breathing fire like a raging dragon. Her eye twitched with agitation at the thought of Genos getting her hopes up before getting let down by Saitama.  
The blonde cyborg outstretched his hand towards the young woman and called out, "Kagome-san!"  
She then growled and glared over her shoulder at the duo, "I'LL WALK MYSELF HOME, YOU JERKS!"  
For some reason, Genos found himself almost flinching at the insult directed at him. "I am…a jerk…?" He wondered beneath his breath. "Sensei, do you think that I-?" The cyborg blink before he noticed that this mentor was already down the block, walking not too far behind the seething young woman. "Ah, so sensei insists on seeing her home safely," he concluded. Before he had the chance to even consider joining them, an idea popped into his head and he quickly spun on his heels.  
There on the tile floor laid Kagome's maid uniform that was ripped into several pieces. The cyborg stooped over and collected each piece one by one, examining each of them closely before picking up the other. "They are salvageable," he told himself.  
________________________________________  
The two of them walked in silence with the woman walking a meter in front of the man. She kept her head down to avoid showing her face to the passersby who openly gawked and whispered to each other about how odd the two of them looked. One was a young woman wrapped in a white covering scattered, displaced maid costume accessories; the other was a man in yellow body suit and random heroic accessories. 'When is he going to stop following me?' Kagome thought begrudgingly, pouting internally and externally as she fought that urge to turn around and confront him head on. 'Shouldn't a hero have better things to do?!'  
Little did she know, the laidback hero who trailed behind her with his arms folded coolly behind his head was only thinking of what he should have for dinner tonight. He had no clue how far the woman lived from her work place but he hoped that it was not too much further.  
Oh.  
That gave him an idea.  
Kagome shrieked when she suddenly felt her feet lift off the ground, followed by the rest of her body. "H-Hey!" She cried as in one, swift movement, she was bounced from Saitama's hip to on top of his back. Despite her protest, she instinctively rested her hands on his shoulders. "What do you think you're doing now, Mister?!"  
Without turning to meet her gaze, which was most likely intense from the anger that she seemed to frequently suffer from, he replied while cupping his hands beneath her bottom. "Getting you home will be faster this way."  
"Hmph," Kagome huffed and looked away from him, even though he was not even looking at her. "You just want an excuse to touch me~" she half joked and half excused.  
"Even if that were true, it's not like you're protesting that much," he pointed out nonchalantly before changing the subject, "So…where to?"  
Kagome found herself feeling dazed and dizzy from the ride home. It literally went by in a blur and what usually was a forty-five-minute walk (one that she took to and from work to save money on transportation expenses) turned into a two-minute run. She shakily climbed off Saitama's back to unlock the door to her quaint campus apartment. She kept the key in her shoe at work.  
"Well…this is it…" She informed him while staring up at the man with a small blush on her cheeks.  
"But…this is a college apartment, isn't it?" He asked while following her inside without bothering asking for permission. He at least had the decency to remove his boots and left them by hers at the doorway.  
Kagome then stopped just short of entering her bedroom and asked back, "yeah, so what?"  
"…aren't you a high school girl?"  
"I'M TWENTY-ONE, YOU IDIOT!" She roared indignantly.  
"Oh." Was his curt reply, he was already used to her dangerously short temper. "What a baby-face."  
Kagome's expression then lit up before she batted her eyelashes cutely, "Glad you think so, Master~"  
This instantly caused Saitama's own face to go sour, "So cringe-worthy…"  
The maid huffed as she dropped her cutesy persona, "Jeez, you're so hard to please. Glad you're not a regular."  
Saitama then smiled and commented," I don't see how anyone could be turned on by that kind of act-" Kagome's cheeks instantly puffed with hot air. "You're actually a lot cuter when you're angry than when you act like that," he admitted with a friendly smile that caught Kagome off guard.  
Despite inwardly feeling happy that someone preferred a more realistic side of her to the act that she and her colleagues had to put on for the sake of the café's theme, Kagome attempted to glare at Saitama and asked, "Is that supposed to make me happy?"  
"Ah? It doesn't?" The hero asked in confused tone as he blinked at her.  
"No! What makes you think that?!" She huffed before retreating into her bedroom to get changed.  
'What a weird girl…' He thought to himself as he stood awkwardly in her small living/dining room. 'She smiled at me for the first time today, but claimed not to be happy.' The hero soon found himself rather bored while waiting for the woman to change out of his cape and into normal clothing. Her apartment really left nothing to look at. It was even blander than his, despite being a bit bigger.  
There were no photographs of family or friends hanging on the walls. There was no television for entertainment. There were not even any books, besides some a slightly disheveled stack of college textbooks sitting on top of her kotatsu. All in all, the lack of personalization to the space made it give off an almost melancholic vibe.  
"Sorry for the wait," Kagome said as she emerged from her room wearing a simple heather-gray T-Shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. "It took a while to find these," she said as she walked up to the hero with his cape folded neatly within her arms.  
"You took a long time…just to find that?" He asked while arching an eyebrow and staring down at her as she stood up on her tippy-toes to re-buckle his cape to his shoulders. From the few seconds that her body was pressed against his, he could smell a light scent of some sort of flower.  
He expected her to snap at him again but instead she laughed lightly and explained before backing away from him with an almost coy smile on her face, "Well, yeah…" she began while placing her hands behind her back and cupping them. Saitama noted how the woman's natural self really was much cuter than her maid façade. "I'm going back to work to see if I can clean it up a bit," she explained. "No one wants to do such dirty work in their nice clothes." 'Should I…ask him…?' she wondered inwardly, not noticing that the man bade her goodbye with a simple "See ya" and wave over his shoulder. It took a moment but she finally gathered up her courage and nodded to herself, 'I'll do it!'  
Kagome then turned around to face the hero, "Would you like to-…?" Seeing that she was alone in the apartment with her door left wide open. "…that guy…" She sighed.  
You suddenly took off without me noticing.  
I didn't get the chance to tell you what I wanted to back at the café.  
________________________________________  
Even though work had been scheduled for the day after the disaster, Kagome was informed that she did not have to go in since owner was still arranging how to go about rebuilding and repairing the damage done. Still, she found herself showing up at her workplace with a broom, dust pan, and a box of heavy duty trash bags. It was not that she enjoyed cleaning for free but she honestly had nothing else better to do, besides study. And with the events of yesterday pressing so hard on her mind, studying was not an option. She needed something to keep her mind numb and her hands busy.  
So there she was, sweeping up dusty and rubble in the warmth of another quiet afternoon all alone. Her colleagues who fled the scene as soon as danger seemed to approach had no clue what transpired or what even attacked them. They felt no obligation to show up and help clean. Last night she received an onslaught of phone calls and texts from worried coworkers, asking if she had escaped the café in one piece since she did not flee with them. Even though she was working for free and working alone, Kagome still found herself grateful that her fellow maids did leave as soon as the going got rough. 'The last thing that I need is for one of them to have been saved by Saitama too…' she thought absent-mindedly.  
The young woman was snapped from her thoughts at the sound of someone's foot stepping on and cracking some of the shattered glass on the ground. She turned around with her broom in hand and was actually quite surprised to find that it was none other than the blonde cyborg from the day before. "Oh, it's you, " she surmised, "What's up? Did you forget something?" She inquired as he approached her quietly with an almost intimidating, stony look on his face.  
"No, I did not," he responded before stopping right in front of her. "But you did," he added while presenting her with a small, cardboard box. Kagome looked unsure for a moment but reluctantly accepted the box from it. He nodded to her to open it and she nodded back before slowly lifting the lid.  
"Oh… Is this…?" She whispered as she stared down at what appeared to be her maid uniform for work. She sat the box down on the floor before raising the uniform up to look at it in its entirety. "My uniform?" She asked while looking at the cyborg, utterly confused about how he could have gotten her a new uniform when they had to be custom-made by their company's supplier.  
"I took the liberties of repairing it for you as thanks for protecting me, "Genos told her as he watched her examine and awe at his handiwork. "I hope it is to your liking, Kagome-san!" He exclaimed while giving her a deep but formal bow at his waist with his arms stiffly at his sides.  
To his surprise, the young woman laughed blissfully and nearly tackled him as she threw her arms around his neck in an appreciative embrace. "Thanks a bunch, Genos!" She chirped before pulling away to smile up at him sweetly.  
The cyborg ignored the odd feeling that he felt in his chest when he saw her smiling face. Somehow, it felt like she was glowing when she looked at him so fondly. "It is the least that I could do…" he insisted before tearing his gaze away from her. It felt as if he continued to look at her, he would find himself caught in a sort of hypnotic trace.  
"No really~" She added as her smile got wider and her eyes began to sparkle, "I was so angry yesterday because the company charges us for replacement uniforms!" She finally looked away from the cyborg to admire her newly repaired maid costume, "but this looks as good as new! I'm so impressed that you're so skilled at sewing!"  
Genos then nodded as he looked around the café and assessed the damage that was done to the place, "Do you need assistance in cleaning? I see that you are working alone."  
Kagome smiled and shook her head from side to side, "Nah, don't worry about it~ I only came here because I needed something to do." She placed her broom against a table and clapped her hands together, "but now that you're here, I'm not completely alone! Wanna do something?" She asked hopefully while staring up at Genos with wavering, puppy-like eyes.  
Genos rubbed his chin for a moment and looked thoughtful, "Well…I do need go grocery shopping for sensei and I. We are lowing short on-"  
Kagome gasped and jumped closer to him, almost nose-to-nose as she stared into his eyes with fists balled up near her chest, "You mean that you two live together?!" she asked in an overly shocked manner.  
The thoughtful expression on Genos' face changed back to his usual stoic one, "We do. It is more convenient for me to learn under sensei that way."  
Kagome's face then changed to a slightly pouty one as she sighed, "How nice…~" She gave a small, wistful smile before adding, "I'm a bit jealous~" before laughing at herself to disperse what could have turned into a depressing atmosphere.  
Being as straightforward as he was, the cyborg did not hesitate to ask out of sheer curiosity, "Are you jealous that I am living with Saitama-sensei?" The blonde's amber eyes readily connected to woman's blue eyes as he searched for an answer within the windows of her soul.  
However, as soon as their eyes met, Kagome's retreated to the side as her cheeks flushed, "Don't be ridiculous!" She said defensively, "It's just that I don't have a roommate living with me anymore!" She explained as she looked at the ground. "Sometimes, it gets a little lonely, that's all!" She added with giving him a half-hearted glare. Honestly, it was much easier to glare at Saitama than Genos. The cyborg felt more genuine and curious, like a puppy discovering the world for the first time.  
"I see," the cyborg replied while looking thoughtful once more. "Shall I ask if you can move in wit-?"  
"No-THANK YOU!" Kagome interjected while placing a hand up. "Let's just get out of here, okay?" She changed the subject immediately. The last thing she needed weighing on her mind was the thought of living with the two extremely attractive heroes.  
Genos nodded, willing to follow her lead just as quickly as he would his mentors, "Sure, let's. But let us depart for our apartment first, I need to do inventory of our current food stock."  
Kagome nodded and laughed lightly as she latched onto his arm in a chummy manner, unintentionally brushing her breasts against his exposed synthetic skin. She felt him stiffened a bit and waved her hand dismissively, "Come on now, Genos~ You don't have to be formal with me~" she told him sweetly, "I just call you Genos without an honorific after all so just relax~ We're friends, aren't we?"  
Their walk back to Saitama's and Genos' apartment was a pleasant and most comfortable one. The duo found themselves feeling more natural around each other than expected. For the first time in a long time, Kagome felt like she had a friend who she could laugh freely with. And for the first time in a long time, Genos felt like he was an ordinary human being. Their conversation most consisted of Kagome asking her new friend a question and him replying with a long, convoluted answer. The cyborg had quite the motor mouth, especially about Saitama, whom he adored and his past. But Kagome did not mind the chatter one bit; it was nice to have someone to talk with outside of work after all.  
The young woman found then began to notice that the two of them were leaving the "safe" side of the city and venturing deeper and deeper in a sector that she and no one who she knew before yesterday dared to go… It was a borderline slum with trash about, dark alleys, and many uninhabited homes. "Ehh…" Kagome laughed nervously, "Genos…do you two really live here?" She asked unsurely, being in this area of the city made her feel a bit uneasy, despite being with a hero. Her senses were tugging at her, telling her that something sinister was lurking about somewhere not far.  
Genos merely nodded and continued his long story about how he came to live with Saitama as he led her up the black, iron stairway to the front door. Kagome noted how he opened the door without unlocking it with a key and called as they stepped in, "Sensei, I brought a guest over!"  
Kagome felt a bit nervous being in the bald hero's home but curiously peeked from behind Genos' taller form nonetheless, "Hello, hello~ Look who's here~" she added in but tilted her head to the side when no one seemed to answer. "Aww, no one's home," she concluded as she followed Genos further into the more than humble abode.  
"It would seem that sensei had some errands of his own to take care of," Genos pointed out as he placed the box that held Kagome's uniform on the floor next to a moderately-sized bookcase that was filled to the brim with manga. "Would you mind waiting here while I check the kitchen?" He asked politely as he walked towards the kitchen area.  
Kagome shook her head and smiled, "Go ahead, I'll be fine~" she told him as she eyed the bookcase curiously. 'I wonder what type of manga he likes…' The blue-eyed woman then reached out and plucked a random one from the shelf. It appeared to be the average shounen genre manga. While she did enjoy reading those and watching their anime counterparts, Kagome was not here at the bookcase for her own entertainment. No… She was a woman a mission to find out-  
"What's this guy's kink?" She whispered to herself as she scanned the spines of each manga individually, searching for something that she could use. "Every manga geek has one…" she told herself. Hell. Even she had a fetish for kuudere-type characters and bishies. They were just so lovable!  
Sorry. In hindsight, maybe it was wrong of me to look through your manga collection without permission.  
Then again, you had it out in the open so it wasn't supposed to be private, right? Oh well. Too late now.  
I didn't realize it at the time but I was so curious about you for a reason.  
________________________________________  
The trip the supermarket turned out to be just as pleasant as their walk from the café to the apartment, if not even better. Genos explained to Kagome how much Saitama loved sales and saving money since he did not have much and she wholeheartedly agreed with him. She was no low-ranking hero, but she was the average university student: broken. "I am surprised that Sensei is not here himself. He usually the first one at the door when a sale is taking pace, "Genos pointed out while filling a plastic bag full of discounted leeks.  
Kagome nodded and smiled fondly as her eyes glanced over the prices of fruit that were adjacent to the vegetable section that Genos was taking care. The duo was nearly back-to-back as one grabbed vegetables and the other grabbed fruit and placed them into their shared shopping cart. "Hey, Genos…" she suddenly called. The cyborg turned around and saw the woman comically standing in front of the citrus section with a small tangerine in one hand and a luscious grapefruit in the other. She held the two fruit in front of her chest, as if comparing them to her breasts and asked with a determined look on her face, "What size does Saitama prefer?!"  
Genos sweat dropped, "I am unsure of how to answer that question…"  
To make matters even worse for the poor guy, Kagome then placed down the tangerine and picked up a cantaloupe, "Or could it be that he's the melon type?!"  
Time seemed to fly by much quicker with Genos' new friend than when he shopped or cooked alone. He was more than impressed about how having one extra person along for a task could change the entire atmosphere. Shopping that used to feel like a necessity if not a complete chore turned out…dare, he thought it…fun? Kagome was an oddball of the special variety. She had times where she was sweet and innocent, accidentally making his heart race with a small action like bumping into him while walking. There were other times where she was more impish but still in a cute way. All in all, the cyborg found him enjoying the time that they spent together.  
After hours of errands and cores, it was around 7PM at night and their dinner was just about ready for serving. Kagome's eyes sparkled at the sight of the hotpot simmering with slices of beef, eggs, and veggies. She wafted the heavenly aroma to her noise and made a humming sound of contentment,"Mmm, sukiyaki in late summer~ I feel so spoiled~!" She commented since sukiyaki was typically a winter dish. But the two agreed that their haul from the sale called for a dish that would do all of their procured treasures justice all at once.  
Genos nodded and added, "I'm sure that Sensei would appreciate a hearty meal like this as well. He should be home any minute now."  
Kagome smiled as an idea popped into her head, "that reminds me of one last thing that I want to do today! Come on, I need your help!" She urged the cyborg while taking his hand and all but dragging him out of the kitchen and into the living room.  
Genos looked down at Kagome with his usual expression and began to ask, "What is it that you need to-?"  
"Turn around for a minute," Kagome commanded but in a tone that did not come off as "bossy". The cyborg complied, despite being confused about how she could need his help while he did nothing but stand there and face the opposite direction. Genos, being a calculating as he was, set a sixty-second timer and waited patiently while staring at the wall as he watched the numbers inside of his head countdown to zero.  
Once the timer stopped, Genos turned around to look at his friend, "What is that you nee-?!" only to find that his eyes met the sight of Kagome's panties-covered rear-end. She was in nothing but her matching light-blue bra and panties and bent over to step into her maid uniform.  
Kagome's face immediately turned red as she yelled, "Wait, I'm not ready yet!"  
And as cruel fate would have it, the front door opened and in stepped Saitama in all of his yellow-suited, bald-headed glory. "Genos, I'm bac- …Ah." His expression, of course, was that pokerface that Kagome learned to be his mood-neutral one. His wide but blank eyes stared at the scene before him as Kagome and Genos stood frozen in place in an awkward silence. Kagome was still bent over, in nothing but her underwear while Genos stood dangerously close behind.  
From Saitama's perspective, he just walked in on something that was…  
"I-it's…" Kagome was the first to speak but her breath was caught in her throat. "-n-not…"  
Finally Genos recovered from the shock that seemed to override his systems and took over for her, "What she means to say is, it is not what it looks like Sensei," he informed his mentor calmly, "We are in this situation because Kagome was in dire need of my assistanc-"  
"Gross. That's enough, dude."  
"W-What?! It's really not what it looks liiiiiiiiiiikeeeee!"  
________________________________________  
What Kagome had hoped to be a peaceful, comfortable dinner for three turned out to be the exact opposite: it was so awkward, for her at least. While Genos did not seem bothered by what had just transpired, she was still quite flustered. It did not help that the bald man sitting directly across from her had been staring at her non-stop with that blank expression on his face during the entire meal. Even when he was shoveling food into his mouth, he was staring at her relentlessly with those big eyes of his. Even when she tested to see if he was staring at something behind her by scooting to the left and right, those eyes followed her where ever she went. It was so unnerving! She wished that if he had something to say that he would just come out and-  
"Oh." Finally, he spoke, a small smile replaced that unnerving blank stare. "You're that maid from yesterday: Kahuna!" He stated triumphantly, as if he just made an exciting discovery!  
Kagome slammed her head against the table before glaring at the man sitting across from her, "It's KAGOME, you idiot!"  
"Ohhhh, riiiiight," he replied while scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I knew that I've seen you from somewhere before but I couldn't put my finger on it." With that mystery finally solved, Saitama continued popping slices of savory beef into his mouth.  
"You can't be serious…?" Kagome glared at him with a deadpanned tone.  
"Do not worry, Kagome," Genos spoke up suddenly. "My Sensei here is a good man. He is just so preoccupied with his daily quotas that his memory fails him sometimes."  
"Well, to be honest," Saitama added as he eyed another slice of beef in the pots of goodies. Kagome huffed as she watched his chopsticks reach out to pluck the meat from the brew. The annoyed young woman reached over to the hotpot with her own chopsticks to thwart Saitama's plot of dominating all of the beef strips! "You look like a chick that I banged in a dream once," he said casually. Kagome's chopsticks stopped just short of the beef as she froze. "Oh, cool," he smiled while grabbing the forfeited piece of flesh. "More for me~"  
Genos noted Kagome's bright red face and incredulous expression and decided to step up for her, "Sensei, please. It is inappropriate to tease her like that at the dinner table."  
Kagome shook her head and crossed her arms, "Thanks but that's not it, Genos."  
"Oh? Then you are not upset about Sensei ruining the mood with his perverted humor?"  
The answer to the question even piqued Saitama's interested as he stopped picking over the vegetables to stare at Kagome as she played with a lock of her hair, feeling a little embarrassed under the scrutiny of the two men. "No, "She quickly with a small pout at her lips. "I'm upset that he thinks that it was a dream, "she admitted, her eyes settling on the shining table surface as heat rushed to her cheeks at the sound of the two men choking on and spitting out their meal.  
The confession even had Genos acting out of character, his pale cheeks now flushed bright red, his blonde hair standing on end, and his eyes widened, "S-S-Sensei, is this the truth?!"  
"Uhhhhh…" Saitama scratched his cheek while looking up and away, avoiding Genos' and Kagome's eyes as she did to them. "I guess…it's possible," he concluded with a smile, despite his shock and even hidden embarrassment.  
Kagome finally got the courage to look up from the table and at Saitama's face, she was grateful that he was not looking at her back this time. "We met before yesterday…" She said nervously, her voice wavering with embarrassment. Yes, she usually avoided embarrassing situations but this case was different and special to her. She needed to do this. "It was a bit over a year ago…" The two men fell silent as they listened to her story. "I was at a beach party with my friends. Of course, we're in college so a lot of people got drunk. Some jerk hit on me and got rejected so he took my key-ring and threw it into the ocean…"  
________________________________________  
['Dammit! Why is this happening to me?!' Kagome thought to herself miserably and angrily as she sloshed around in the frigid, dark waters, searching fruitlessly for her lost apartment key. Her so-called "friends" had long gone home or to a guy's house, leaving her on the beach alone well past 3AM. Despite being cold and wrinkly, Kagome's hands continued to search through salty water, sand, slimy weeds, and rock to find that familiar feel of jagged metal. Every minute or so, she would break the surface again to rest her arms and gasp for air. After what felt like hours of scrambling, she decided to call it quits. Her body was not going to tolerate the elements for much longer.  
Despite giving up on her futile attempts to find her key, Kagome did not return to her apartment yet. It was not like she could get in anyway. Instead, she opted to sit on the dock and watched the big, white moon command the dark waves to taunt her about her powerlessness. Suddenly, she knew what would make her feel even just a little bit better. The young woman got to her feet, balled up her fist, and screamed as loudly as she could into the silent night. She screamed and screamed out her frustrations and anger about the cruel hand that fate dealt her today.  
"Uh… Are you okay?" Came an unfamiliar, masculine voice from behind her.  
Kagome screamed again, but this time in fear and not anger, and jumped as she turned quickly to face the stranger, "W-Who are you?!" She asked nervously while looking the man up and down. He had a perfectly bald head that reflected the moonlight, an odd yellow body suit, and a cape. "A cosplayer?" she asked hopefully, silently praying that he was a nerd and not some random pervert.  
"Actually, I'm a hero for fun," He replied with a smile, "What are you doing out here so late? And why are you soaked?" he asked, a hint of concern was hidden within that curious tone.  
Kagome shook her head and shifted on her feet in an embarrassed manner, "I uh…lost my key in the sea.." she stated skittishly. It was far too personal to tell a stranger about how she was sexually harassed and that's how she ended up losing her key.  
"Oh," the stranger's face turned a blank one, "Well, that sucks."  
"Yeeeeeaah…" Kagome averted her eyes from him for a moment. That simple reply in that nonchalant tone made her feel awkward somehow.  
"Okay, wait here," he commanded nonchalantly. Before she had the chance to even ask him what he was going to do, the hero leapt so high into the air that his bright-yellow suit faded into the darkness of the night sky.  
"Uh..what?" She asked dumbly as she gawked up at the stars, wondering just what was going on.  
A few seconds later, the swooshing sound of air molecules parting as a high velocity figure dove into the sea. The impact was so great that Kagome was sent flying backwards a few feet but she managed to sea that for a moment, the sea had parted, revealing the sandy, rocky, and weedy floor. If she were not freezing her butt of from being soaked, the young woman would have thought that she was dreaming! Once again, before she had the chance to even process what happened, a red gloved hand took hold of her own and dropped her key into it with a simple, "Here~"  
Kagome looked up at the face of the total stranger who dive-punched the ocean to find her lost key. She was beyond astonished, almost speechless. She did not even care that his face was rather goofy looking when plastered onto that egg head of his. All that she knew that if she said nothing, it felt like her heart was going to jump right out of her chest. So she acted on her first impulse, which was to throw her arms around the neck of the man and pour heart out, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"  
"Eheh, no problem~ It's what I do," the hero replied while patting the small woman on the head like a child. "Now let's get you home, eh?" That said, the bald man showed her his strong back before squatting down.  
"O…okay…" She said unsurely as she climbed onto the stranger's back. Despite living in Z City all of her life, she had never met a hero in person before. While she did not necessarily expect for them all to be snobs, she also did not expect to find one that was so kind-hearted and sweet.  
"So…where to?" The bald man asked as he stood up to his full height with Kagome on his back.  
"Um…do you knew where Z University is?" She asked back.  
"Oh, so you're a college girl," He stated rhetorically as he took off into the night at a speed that was fast, but not fast enough to be put his new charge in danger of falling off. "You look a lot younger" he told her while making small talk.  
Kagome merely laughed into his ear, "Yeah, I get that a lot," she told him. She smiled at her reflection in his bald head. Her cheeks were a soft hue of pink and a content smile was on her face. This was definitely the best part of her day. 'I'm sure that not everyone gets the opportunity to spend time with a hero like this… I should make the best of it~' She told herself inwardly as her smile widened at her own thoughts. "Hey, hero?" She asked.  
"Hm?" He tried to turn his head and look at her but she clung too closely for there to be much room for movement. "What's up, kiddo?"  
Kagome found that it was easy to be open and honest about her feelings when he was unable to look at her face, "You've made my night amazing~ Thank you so much!"  
"Eheh, glad that I could be of service," He replied modestly, she could practically hear his smile.  
"May I ask a favor of you?" She pressed on.  
"Another favor?" He asked in a playful tone. "You're running up quite the tab, missy."  
Kagome merely giggled and gently squeezed his shoulders, "you'd have my eternal gratitude~."  
"Fine, fine," He sighed as if he were going to deny her request, even though she was sure that he would not have.  
"I've dreamed of being able to fly like a bird," She told him. "You're super strong. Wanna help me out?"  
"Eh," His tone turned a bit more serious. "That sounds a bit dangerous for a girl like you."  
"Oh, come on!" Kagome urged while playfully kicking her legs and lightly pushing on his backside.  
"O-Oi!" He called back at her, tightening his grip on thighs, showing that he was actually concerned about dropping her. "Don't be so pushy! I'm the one in charge here!"  
Kagome rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, "yeah, yeah. Big hero. Blah, blAHHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly in the middle of her mocking him, the bald man hurled her through the air like a professional American football player would.  
Meanwhile Saitama stood there for a moment, watching the young soar through the night air, "Ah…maybe I threw her too hard," he wondered as he watched her small body stay airborne for longer than expected. He shrugged before dashing and leaping into the air to save her life. To his surprise, instead of screaming in terror, the strange woman was laughing her ass off when she landed in his arms bridal-style.  
"T-that was awesome!" She exclaimed through her teary eyes and fits of her laughter. She wiped a tear away before smiling up at him. "You're the best!" She told him with a goofy, lop-sided smile, obviously drunk off of her adrenaline rush. Saitama merely stared down at her and laughed as well. "Oh… We're here," she blinked as they landed right in front of her apartment.  
"Yup, ride's over," he told her as he sat her down on her feet. He held out a gloved hand and smiled, "Now pay up, missy," he teased, obviously wanting to end their encounter on a light-hearted note.  
But Kagome was not ready for their encounter to end.  
"Sure," She whispered before quickly leaning up to the man and pressing her soft lips against his. To her surprise, his lips were warm and softer than she expected for a manly hero. And the rest was history…]  
________________________________________  
Saitama looked completely dumbfounded as Kagome stopped her story before getting into the dirty details,"…huh, so that night wasn't a dream… Weird."  
Kagome's dreamy-eyed expression instantly turned into a sour one, "You're the only weird one here…" she said sharply before eyes went aflame, "And stop eating all of the beef, dammit!"  
Genos sent a stern look to his mentor and nodded his head in agreement, "Kagome is right, Sensei. I have tallied your total number of meat strips consumed to be at twenty-two. Kagome and I only put thirty in the entire pot."  
"Okay, one more then," The bald-headed man stated while reaching for a final-  
Kagome dove across the table and slapped the hero's hand like a naughty child, "No more! Save some meat for me, dummy!"  
Genos sweat dropped in the background, "I think you mean, save some for us…"  
Saitama then turned into serious mode. His facial features becoming sharper and much more devilishly handsome. Kagome's breath hitched into her throat at the face. It was the face that remained the center of her wet dreams for months since that night. "I've got some meat saved for you right he-"  
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, you creep!" Kagome screamed with tears in her eyes and her cheeks dyed a deep red as she grabbed Saitama by the collar and shook him senseless, all the while he merely smiled widely and laughed at her expense. Meanwhile Genos watched the pair while taking the last eight pieces of beef for himself. His mentor was laughing in an oddly amused manner as the tiny woman shook him hard to break a normal person's neck. Seeing two people who he liked so much get along made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.  
To keep the good mood rolling, the cyborg urged his mentor and Kagome to try to recall more details about their first encounter. The answers from the two were nothing short of hilarious and embarrassing with the two of them taking shots at each other every chance that they could.  
"I was only going to make-out with him," Kagome said at one point in a matter-of-fact tone. "He's the one who got hard from a little kissing!" She laughed at the blank face that she received from Saitama.  
He then retorted in a monotone voice, "It doesn't take much to get your rocks off."  
"H-humph! Says the guy who thought he could please a girl with the pace of a half-dead turtle~"  
"Ah," Saitama paused for a moment. She had a point but there was a reasonable explanation for that, "you told me that it was your first ti-"  
Once again, Genos found himself choking on his dinner. Kagome was instantly at his side, holding up a cup of warm tea up to his lips and helping him wash down the half-masticated food. The raven-haired woman glared at Saitama who blinked and stared at his disciple with his mouth ajar and eyes wider than usual, "Woah, Genos, you okay?"  
"You idiot! That was too-much-information! You almost killed poor Genos!" Kagome scolded him while caressing the cyborg's pale cheek tenderly, a look of concern on her face.  
Perhaps it was all the talk of love-making that had went on but just the light touch of her dainty fingers against the cyborg's face sent electric pulses coursing throughout his body. He shivered and unintentionally leaned into her touch.  
"Ah, my bad, dude," came his mentor's reply.  
Once Kagome determined that the blonde was in no danger of asphyxiating on his meal, she promptly returned to shaking Saitama senseless.  
Yes, indeed. It was a wonderful sight to behold someone getting along with and appreciating his mentor as much as he did…  
…but it was also somehow oddly uncomfortable. Something about watching them made him feel a bit uneasy. 'I will ask Dr. Kuseno to check my wiring to make sure that nothing is malfunctioning.'  
Kagome had no idea how things led up to this but here she was in another odd situation. She was laying on her side in the darkness of a small, cramped living room. Her body was squeezed between her two male companions. Even after Saitama moved the table into the kitchen, the small living area was packed. Okay… There actually was enough place for all three of them to sleep on the floor with elbow room but somehow, night time seemed to be an especially magical time where everything went terribly wrong yet terribly right at the same time.  
At first Kagome could not sleep and laid awake on her back while staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. She spent a lot of time wondering what Saitama and Genos truly thought of her, especially after her confession of their meeting a year ago. At first, she thought that it would be awkward and Saitama would be creeped out that she wanted to get to know him further after that one-night stand. But the hero, nor pupil, seemed to mind her presence at all so she was unconsciously encouraged to stay a lot longer than she intended to.  
Even after telling you that we've met before, I still didn't get the chance to tell you everything that was weighing on my mind for an entire year.  
Like…for instance… I wanted to tell you about how much I regretted not ever asking for your name or getting a way to keep in touch with you.  
I searched and searched for you on the Hero's Association registry and found nothing. I was so confused and disappointed. Even if you didn't feel anything for me romantically, I still wanted to get to know you.  
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, her body naturally shifted uncomfortably as her bottom began to go numb. Instinctively, she turned to her left and laid on that side. Upon opening her eyes, she expected to see Genos' back about a half meter away but instead, she came face-to-face with the cyborg's sleeping …well, face. Her eyes widened as she blushed from their proximity. Sure, she was pretty friendly with him but she was not quite ready to be so close that she could feel his shallow breaths against her lips.  
The young woman shut her eyes and then decided to turn and lay on her right side, where Saitama was situated. 'Jeez, Genos… Thanks a lot,' she thought bitterly, not daring to open her eyes quite yet. 'You would end up so close to me like that!' It just was not fair! Even though she did not have any romantic feelings for the cyborg, she was still a young woman, ripen with desires and hormones and in her prime! She was not blind to how astonishingly attractive he was! When he was awake, and interacting with her, it was easy to be his pal and ignore ogling him. When he was sleeping so soundly so close to her…that was an entirely different story. Her mind left to wonder over what her body felt.  
"What's wrong? Stomach ache?"  
"Eh- Saitama?" She asked, cheeks flushing when her eyes open in response to the sudden voice. "You're awake?"  
His signature big eyed, blank stare was her only answer.  
"Oh, uh…" She stammered, realizing that he was waiting for an answer. "No, I just…can't sleep…"  
"Ah," he propped his head up using his elbow as he continued staring at her. "You're not thinking of jumping my bones again, are you?" He asked with a light-hearted smile.  
Kagome's face went beet red as she whisper-shouted, "A-As if! That was a one night thing!"  
It was only after the hero laughed that she realized that he was only messing with her again. He smiled and added, "Too bad~ I was looking forward to it too" he teased, expecting another cute reaction that he was becoming more and more fond of.  
Instead she took him by surprise by smiling impishly and placing a small hand on his hip, "Well, if you insist…" she trailed down to his inner thigh, "We can give it a go if you can be quiet~"  
"O-Oi!" The bald man protested in the quietest voice he could muster as for once; his own cheeks were dyed light shade of red as he glared at the evil young woman lying next to him. "That's playing dirty!" He told her before turning away to face the wall and hide his face. For a moment, he completely lost his usual composure and was actually flustered.  
Kagome merely giggled, not feeling bad about teasing one bit. It felt rather goodto get so deeply under his skin. But she decided to be nice and not pursue the matter, "Okay, okay~ I'm sorry~" she said in an appeasing pat him on the back gently to apologize. Though she would never admit it, she would have minded if something actually did happen between them in that moment.  
"Kagome, Sensei, I detect that your levels of dopamine, oxytocin, amongst other hormones are increasing at an abnormal rate. Shall I perform a physical exa-"  
"G-Go back to sleep, Genos!" Kagome commanded.  
Within in an instant, the cyborg was laying back down in his futon with an obedient, "Yes, ma'am."  
________________________________________  
It was another low-traffic, boring afternoon at Maid Paradise, Kagome's workplace. Despite early afternoons being slow, no one on shift was ever sent home early like workers in fast food companies. So here she was again, sitting unladylike on the front counter where customers came to pay for their meals before leaving, and chatting with her fellow maids about the usual: their favorite heroes. It was only after she reunited with Saitama that Kagome actually found the conversations interesting. Usually she spaced out and pretended to listen to the chatter by smiling and nodding her head in agreement to whatever someone said.  
Yuka, a young woman with bone-straight, shoulder-length black hair clapped her hands together as she gushed over the thought of her favorite hero, "I'm so glad that I was off last night! Amai-Mask appeared in a special interview on channel five yesterday!"  
Eri, a sweet-hearted woman with naturally wavy hair that Kagome found herself secretly envious of, nodded twice enthusiastically, "I know, right?! He's so beautiful and elegant- like a true prince~" Kagome sighed inwardly despite her outward brilliant smile, she wondered if anyone would ever bring up heroes who she actually cared about: Saitama and Genos. She visited them so often and sometimes stayed over for extended periods of time that she was borderline living with them. She did not need a top three favorite heroes when she already had two who she knew person-  
"Kagome-chan! Helloooooo? Are you going to answer?" Eri asked curiously while waving a hand in front of her colleague's face.  
Eri then pointed out and giggled when Kagome's face flushed in embarrassment at being caught spacing out, "I bet Kagome-chan got so caught up in the conversation that she daydreamed about her dreamboat~"  
The three young women squealed like high school girls at the thought of it. This caught the attention of the three other maids on duty: Koharu, Kagura, and Ayame and the seven maids formed a circle of young women leaning against counters, brooms, or sitting on buckets, chatting about their fantasies.  
"So Kagome-chan, who is it~?" Ayame asked in a sharp tone. "It better not be my Speedy Tail!"  
Yuka rolled her eyes at the red-haired, pig-tailed maid, "Oh can it. Kagome-chan isn't interested in your Koga guy," She told her while crossing her arms, "Not when heroes like AMAI-MASK EXISTS~!" She added in a dreamy voice.  
That was it.  
"Enough speaking up for me!" Kagome interjected. "I can speak for myself, thank you very much!"  
"Then do it already!" the rest of the maids yelled back at her collectively, causing her to wince at the sheer volume and pitch of their cacophony.  
"Fine…" She mumbled while tucking some of her long hair behind her ear. "My favorite heroes are…" She trailed off for a moment, a bead of sweat running down her forehead at the sight of her colleagues slowly inching towards her in anticipation. "…G-Genos and Saitama!"  
The café was quiet for a moment…  
"…who are they?" came the first whisper.  
'Crap…' it felt like a large weight crashed down onto her shoulders when Kagome realized that most people called their heroes by their assigned nicknames! "U-Uh…I mean uh… The Demon Cyborg and…"  
Kagome winced again when the group of maids shrieked in perfect unison, all of their eyes glowing brightly as they cupped their hands together.  
"The Demon Cyborg… He's so handsome~!"  
"And he looks so cool and collected all of the time!"  
"I wish he'd look at me with those sexy eyes!"  
Kagome huffed, as she did not get to finish telling them about how much she adored Saitama. The group of maids went off on a tangent about how cool and attracted Genos looked. As much as she too liked Genos. She still wanted to talk about… "SAITAMA IS THE COOLEST HERO OF ALL!" She suddenly screamed over everyone with her fists balled up passionately. She did not know what came over here but there it was: her heart on her sleeve. "HE'S STRONG, KIND, AND HANDSOME, EVEN IF HE'S BALD!"  
"B-Bald…?"  
"Saitama..?"  
"She can't mean Caped Baldy, can she?"  
"The rank leecher?"  
"Mou…" Kagome huffed but resisted the urge to stomp her feet childishly like she did with Saitama. "You should know not to judge someone by rumors before you get to know them! You should act more like adults!" She chastised them with inflated, reddened cheeks.  
Ayame smiled and poked Kagome's cheek, deflating the air that was puffing them up, "Look who's talkin', Mrs. Puff~" she teased and her fellow maids joined her for a collective laugh at Kagome's expense.  
________________________________________  
It was an oddly peaceful day in Z city today. No dangerous leveled threats were terrorizing the citizens like they usually did. No random villains crashing through the ceiling to challenge Saitama or Genos. It was a perfect day…too perfect. It was a nice, quiet day that mainly consisted of Saitama slouching around with a manga and Genos catching up on housework. All was calm and right until…  
{Knock, knock}  
The blonde cyborg peered at his mentor from the kitchen door, "Sensei, I believe that Kagome has come to visit us again." Genos stood there for a moment with a mop in hand before he heard another pair of soft knocks at the front door. "Shall I let her in, Sensei?"  
Saitama scratched his head before hopping to his feet, "Nah, it's cool. I got it." He felt like getting under her skin by making her knock at least two hundred times before he answered, but with how earnest Genos was…he would never be able to pull off that troll with his disciple around. "Yeah, yeah…" He almost groaned as he unlocked and opened the door.  
Kagome was still dressed her maid costume as she greeted him with an alluring, coy smile while squirming in a timid manner, "H-how…may I serve you today, Master?" She asked before slowing batting her eyelashes.  
For a moment, she felt victorious as he stared at her with wide eyes and slightly ajar lips…  
"…goodbye," was his reply as he moved to swing the door closed.  
"Wait, a sec!" Kagome shrieked as she threw her feet in the door at the last second. "I was kidding, jeez!"  
Saitama stared at Kagome with his blank, goofy face.  
Kagome stared at Saitama with her pouty, puffy face.  
Genos looked between them both with his typical, focused face.  
"Well? What is it this time?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You show up whenever you have a bad day."  
"H-Hey, not true!"  
"Sensei, she is correct. Kagome shows up good moods very often."  
Saitama looked uninterested as he picked his nose with one hand and held up his manga in the other.  
Kagome's pouted deepened, "I want you to come to Maid Paradise."  
"Nope," the bald man replied while turning a page.  
Genos held up his hand like a child in a classroom, "I am willing to visit your work place, Kagome."  
Kagome laughed sheepishly as her eyes shifted from side to side as she tried to think of the kindest way to put her next thought, "Well uh…I actually don't need you to come, Genos."  
Instantly, the cyborg deflated and his bangs shielded his eyes and he fell into a depression.  
"W-Well, that doesn't mean that I don't want you there though!" Kagome added in as her arms flailed about. "You're naturally invited if I invite Saitama!"  
Genos' head immediately lifted as he returned to normal rather quickly. When it came to Saitama and Kagome, this particular cyborg was easily pacified.  
Kagome then turned her attention back to Saitama, she clapped her hands together and smiled brightly, "So? How about it, Tama?" She put a sweet emphasis on the new nickname.  
The bald man did not seem phased by the nickname at all as he did not look up from his manga, "Genos can go. That place looks expensive. I'm not made of money."  
"…I'll make your entire meal free," Kagome said.  
"What day and time?!" He suddenly was on his feet with balled up fists.  
"Tomorrow, 1:30PM~" Kagome smiled as she made her own determined fists.  
"Sensei, you fell for her bait hook, line, and sinker."  
The maid then waved Genos off, "come on now~ All is fair in love and war! Let's go celebrate!"  
"Is today a special occasion?"  
"Of course! It's "Kagome Conquered Saitama Day"!"  
________________________________________  
"Eh… You okay?" Saitama asked Kagome, who was sitting on a stool next to him with deeply flushed cheeks and hazy eyes. When he saw the young woman wobbly from side to side, he placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her, "Oi! You had too much!"  
Kagome merely groaned as if she were tired before turning to her left to look at her companions. "I…did…NAWT!" She exclaimed in a slurred protest. "You're not having fun…?" She glared at him and pouted as usual.  
The bald man gently swished his drink around in his tiny, shot glass and replied, "Meh, ever since I became this strong, it takes a lot longer for me to get buzzed."  
Kagome frowned as she leaned over and wrapped her arm around Saitama's shoulder and whined, "Mou, superhumans like you are no fun!" She then looked beyond him over to Genos, who was sitting to Saitama's left and two stools away from her. "Nee, Genos… Are you as alcohol tolerant as Tama here?"  
The cyborg looked over at her, his normally pale cheeks had a slight red tinge to them, "As a cyborg, I too require a large amount of alcohol to become intoxicated, but it is not impossible."  
Kagome grinned cheekily at hearing that and leaned further on Saitama until her torso was sprawled across his lap. She ignored his signature "Oi!" that he used to get her attention or protest against her to give Genos a toothy smile and raise a toast to him with her ½ full shot glass.  
"That's what I like to hear~ Drink up with me! You're the best, Genos!" She encouraged him.  
That encouragement, praise, and smile was all that the blond needed to proceed tossing back shot after shot while the remained in Saitama's lap, clapping and cheering for the cyborg gleefully. "Go, Genos! Go!"  
"Are you even allowed to get drunk, dude? It won't scramble your circuits?"  
"…..I assure you that my body is strong enough to hiccup handle something as hiccup trivial as liquor."  
Kagome giggled and fist pumped the air, "That's the spirit, Geny! You're awesome!" She then looked up at Saitama's blank expression, "not like this stick in the mud," she added sourly while glowering at him.  
Saitama merely sighed and smiled while patting her head, "You're such a brat."  
Kagome pouted before laying her head down in his lap. The hero tensed when her cheek landed on a rather personal area. "Tama…can I ask you something?"  
"You're going to ask no matter what I say."  
"S-Sensei…hiccup…you should take it easy on he-ccup every once in a while…"  
Saitama gritted his teeth and glared at the blond, "Don't side with this brat!"  
"Saitama…" Kagome whispered while tugging on his shirt, successfully bring his attention back to her. "…i-is a citizen girl like me no good?" She asked in a soft voice. The hero-for-fun found himself almost speechless at the sight of her deep, tender-looking eyes.  
"Eh?"  
"Or do you prefer women who look more mature?" She asked with a small pout on her lips. She continued asking questions without waiting for answers, "Do you really hate my job that much? …Am I not girlfriend material to you? Would dating someone like me be too embarrassing?"  
For once Saitama felt caught off guard, even flustered. If his two companions were not wasted, they would have noticed that he was blushing the way Kagome usually was from his teasing. He looked left and right to make sure that no one was around to witness his embarrassment. Fortunately, the only other person inside of the small, adult lounge was the bartender, a much older gentleman who was too busy cleaning glasses to notice their conversation, or just "heard it all" before so didn't care.  
"I-Idiot, what are you going on about so suddenly?!" The hero asked as he pulled the woman off his lap with one hand and placed her back onto her stool. Despite his annoyance at her antics, he still had the heart to hold her steady by her shoulder.  
"Sensei…hiccup…" Genos completely turned his body so that it was facing Kagome and Saitama. His hands were resting on each leg as fists. Despite his red cheeks and occasional hiccups, Genos maintained his usual expression, "I too am curious about how you feel about Kagome. Please answer us."  
Kagome giggled as she slumped against Saitama again, "See~? Even Genos wants to know! Tell us, Tama~!"  
"Sensei, please…" The intoxicated cyborg began to imitate Kagome in whining to her way to victory.  
"Tama…" she tugged on his shirt. "Tama. Tama. Tama. Hey, Tama. Tammmmmaaaaaaaa."  
"Sensei. Sensei. Sensei. Sensei. Sensei." He tugged relentlessly at the other side of Saitama's shirt.  
Saitama found himself becoming more and more annoyed by the obnoxious duo who was double-teaming him into submission.  
"Taaammmaaa! Tammmmaaaa!"  
"Senseiiiiiiii. Seeeeeenseeeei."  
More and more angry veins popped out of his shining forehead.  
"ENOUGH, YOU IDIOTS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE THIS DAMN ANNOYING!"  
Genos then shrunk away with his head bowed in shame and dejection, "Y-Yes, Sensei…"  
Once his disciple was taken care of, Saitama then turned his attention to Kagome who was leaning her forehead against his shoulder, grumbling about something incoherently. "As for you!" He continued to yell while lifting her chin up by one thumb to force her eyes to meet his. His usual comical face suddenly transformed into a more serious and defined, chisel form. "You want to know?" He asked in a voice so low that it made Kagome shiver in delight. She nodded slowly as she was too entranced by his face to speak.  
Even in her drunken haze, Kagome instinctively leaned up closer to Saitama's face as his slowly closed the distance between them more and more. She closed her eyes and awaited the soft contact that she had no felt in a year.  
{DOINK!}  
Saitama flicked her forehead, causing the young woman to squeak in surprise. "H-Hey! You're such a tease!" She glared up at him as her eyes clearly burned with disappointment. She groaned and wobbled as he pulled her to her feet with one hand.  
"Time to go," He announced before looking at Genos, who was still lamenting over his mentor exploding at him, "You okay to walk, dude?"  
The cyborg attempted to nod his head affirmatively but instead ended up face planting onto the hard bar counter surface, creating a small crater in the marble.  
Saitama stared at his disciple with a blank expression, "…I'm not paying for that."  
Man… Kagome was a bad influence on Genos. Never before had the cyborg been such a pain in the ass.  
'But…it's become a lot more fun too…' The bald hero thought to himself as he tucked each of his companions beneath his armpits like sacks of potatoes. He looked down at the maid who grinned up at him with a large, toothy smile and smiled. 'You annoying girl…'  
________________________________________  
Saitama carefully laid (the passed-out) Kagome down onto the spare futon that Genos had purchased especially for her visits. He removed her frilly maid headband and then her dress shoes. 'Genos must be rubbing off on me,' he thought to himself when he noticed how he was working hard to make sure that she was comfortable. His dark eyes settled on her stock-covered legs… They looked skin tight and probably uncomfortable to sleep in. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he stared at her thighs. His fingers grabbed a loose hold of the hems of her stockings that clung tighter to her skin due to the light layer of sweat that coated her body from her intoxication.  
He mentally cursed his body's and memory's timing as his hands being so close to her nether regions brought back memories of that faithful. It was just not the hours of passion that came to his mind. It was scenes that seemed to have faded from his mind over time that suddenly flooded back to him…  
________________________________________  
[ The night was hot and sticky with the heat of summer and humidity of the summer. Superhuman abilities be damned. There was nothing worse than a sleepless summer night without air conditioning! Even sleeping naked did his body no justice. "It's HOT!" He shouted in frustration while kicking his hot futon away from him.  
'I need to cool off…'  
That thought led him to pulling on his uniform and heading towards the closest 24-hour store. He was dying for a popsicle! The bald hero even took his time strolling through the empty aisles to bask in the cool comfort of the air-conditioned, brightly lit store. It was not intentional but upon exiting the store, he happened to overhear the banter of a group of young men who was hanging around the store's entrance with clearly nothing to do but talk and talk.  
"So you struck out with that Higurashi chick, huh?"  
"Yeah," another replied in angry tone before he laughed, "But I got her back by throwing her keyring in the friggin ocean!"  
Saitama paused in his strides and licking of his treat to listen closer.  
"Wow, you're a dick!"  
"That's awesome!"  
"Ch'yeah, I know. And I heard that she has no roommate or family nearby so she's probably still out there at the beach looking for them!"  
"Didn't the tide come in by now?"  
"Oh…yeah… Oh well, maybe she drow-…"  
The young man then gulped nervously when he was suddenly overshadowed by a slightly older looking man with a look that could almost literally kill. "You…" Saitama nearly seethed as he placed his hand on the sweating guy's shoulder, "That girl you were talking about… Which beach is she on?"  
The young man looked around at his friends, who were all glaring at their unwelcomed guest, and suddenly felt confident that their numbers would keep him safe. "What's it to ya?!"  
In under sixty seconds, Saitama got the information that he needed and he took off in a mad dash in the direction of the beach. He left the group of college boys lying on the ground unconscious and bruised. His half-eaten popsicle was melting on top of the head of the man who boasted about taking revenge on a woman who rejected him…  
The hero would have preferred that the woman had gone somewhere else but the fact that she supposedly had nowhere to go unnerved him. He had to at least go and look! Within a matter of minutes, Saitama had arrived at the beach that the guys claimed to have been. The entire area that would have been covered in sand during the day was submerged already. He would have given up on searching until he heard a feminine voice screaming out in frustration.  
That was his cue.  
The hero jumped into the air and landed on a dock, the source of the angry screams. And there she was… A young girl in a light blue sundress decorated with a sunflower pattern. Her hair was long, dark and trickled down to her waist. "Uh… Are you okay? He asked her. It was actually pretty amusing to witness her nearly jump out of her skin as she turned to face him.  
It was one of the best nights that he had in a long time. Where he found no joy or excitement in fighting villains anymore, he somehow found a sort of warmth in the short time that he spent with this young woman- who he had mistaken for a high schooler. Ordinarily, he would have pegged her as obnoxious for being so familiar, demanding, and expecting of a complete stranger. But this one was different from most civilians.  
She took his claim to be a hero at face value and seemed to relish in it. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at him and she seemed thrilled to be around him. Best of all, she was appreciative of the favor that he had done for her. Saitama found himself smiling and complying to every request and demand that she asked of him. It was hard not doing what someone so cute and sweet wanted. After he let her experience what she called "flying", she clung to him even harder, though there was no way that she was hurting him or making him comfortable.  
"Hey, Hero…" The blue-eyed woman said to get his attention.  
He looked down at her, "Yeah?"  
"This was the best night ever~" She told him while smiling brightly. "I'll always appreciate what you've done for me! You took the time to help someone like me…" She trailed off for a moment before beaming again. "Thanks again. I love you~!"  
His eyes widened and he looked up ahead of him to hide his pink tinted cheeks. "Anytime," he replied, trying to sound cool and retain her positive image of him. He decided to forgive her for being so bratty and not hiding that she was sniffing him while in his arms.]  
________________________________________  
Saitama smiled fondly at the memory as he peeled and pulled the slightly damp stockings down from her legs and carelessly tossed them away. Genos, who had already recovered from his bout of intoxication, dutifully collected the pieces of Kagome's costume that his mentor discarded without much thought. For once, the cyborg did not speak his mind. He silently watched his teacher take care of the young with a hidden fascination. It did not take a genius like Dr. Kuseno to deduct that even though he did not care to show it directly, Saitama was just as smitten with Kagome as she was with him.  
The blond then placed a hand to his breast plate and left it there. 'What is this tightness that I am feeling?' He wondered as Saitama finally tucked Kagome neatly into her futon. 'My body has been experiencing very peculiar symptoms as of late. Perhaps I am in need of another maintenance.' After deciding to check-in with his doctor and father-figure, Genos proceeded to head to bathroom to hand wash Kagome's sweaty stockings.  
________________________________________  
Kagome slowly blinked her blurred vision away. She was staring up at a familiar ceiling: the one in Saitama's and Genos' living room. 'Why…am I here…?' She thought to herself before groaning at an intense pain in her head. "Tama…" she groaned out while sitting up slowly in her futon. "Genos?" She looked around and listened for the sound of anyone but discovered the apartment to be empty. "Oh… Huh…?" She blinked and noticed a plate sitting on the small dining table. The achy woman crawled across the small floor space.  
A piece of paper that was folded in half to form a tent-shaped note that stood on its own was sitting there. "My name is written on it…" She said to herself. She flipped the note open and read it, "Kagome, you're a light weight. Saitama." Her eye twitched and read a second part to the note, "I left you some pain medication, herbal tea, and lunch in the refrigerator. I took the liberty of calling your manager and told him that you needed the day off. I hope that you recover from your imminent hangover. Genos." She smiled at the note before heading to the kitchen to eat her lunch.  
'Oh…it's 5 already…' She thought to herself with wide eyes. 'How long was I sleeping?!' The young woman would have been freaking out over missing work but she trusted that Genos handled those affairs for her. She did not remember much about the night before besides that she promised to treat her two best friends to a meal at Maid Paradise. 'I guess we need to reschedule that…' she thought to herself. 'Oh well.' With a shrug, she decided to make the most of her evening off~ She drew herself a hot bath and decided to relax before getting started on dinner.  
'Maybe I should go all out tonight to thank them for taking care of me again,' she mused before sinking beneath the surface of the water. 'Yeah, Saitama has been working hard lately… I'll help him out~"  
A few hours later the heroic duo finally returned home after a long, drawn-out meeting for S classed heroes that Saitama was once again dragged into it. The bald hero spent the majority of the meeting spacing out and tapping his foot anxiously, as if he had Restless Leg Syndrome. "Genos, next time there's a meeting you S ranks…don't invite me," he commanded as the cyborg followed his idol into their apartment.  
The blond bowed his head respectfully while closing his eyes, "Yes, Sensei. My apologies. I assumed th-"  
Saitama held up a gloved hand to signal his pupil to be silent. "Hold that thought- What's that smell?"  
Genos closed his eyes and inhaled the lovely aroma filling the room, "I believe that Kagome has dinner prepared." His eyes shot open at the sound of an overly confident, feminine laugh.  
There in the kitchen door stood Kagome with a triumphant, almost cocky grin on her face and her hands on her hips. "It's not just dinner, my dear Genos~ It's our feast!" She announced with pride.  
Instead of smiling and thanking her for being a sweetheart like she had envisioned, Saitama glowered at her as he walked towards the kitchen, "Oiiii…" he grumbled, "Is that my favorite hoodie?!"  
She blinked and looked down at her attire: a baseball styled gray and red hoodie complete with the word "OPPAI" and a pair of cartoony breasts imprinted on the front. "Yeah," she replied innocently before tilting her head to the side, "Why?"  
Saitama stood straight and tall above her to emphasize their difference in height and build. He placed his hands on his hips as he frowned down at her and scolded, "I get that we're close but aren't you getting too cozy around here?"  
Kagome returned his glare with one of her own and a small pout, "well, my uniform was dirty and I didn't have a change of clothes."  
"You could have called," The bald man insisted, raising his voice slightly and adding a bit of sternness to his tone. "You always seem to find a way to reach me. Now bow your head, "he commanded as his face became more serious.  
Genos frowned, feeling concerned about the situation that was unfolding in front of him. "S-Sensei, I think that scolding her is good enough! He spoke up from his spot a few meters away from them.  
Saitama looked over at his pupil, his face still serious, "You being soft on her only enables her," he pointed out, causing Genos' eyes to wide before he shrunk away to mull over his sensei's words. "Brace yourself, Kagome."  
The young woman shut her eyes and kept her head bowed as she waited for the impact: a bop on the head, a flick to her forehead, or a pinching of her cheeks- she was used to Saitama "punishing" her with things like that whenever she "crossed the line". For a moment, there was nothing but silence until she finally felt a strong hand rubbing the top of her head gently. "Permission to use granted."  
"!" Kagome's eyes shot open along with her mouth as she tried to express her frustration in being misled but the playful smile on Saitama's face left her with nothing words caught in her throat.  
"Dinner's in here, right?" Saitama asked curiously while attempting to walk past Kagome to enter the kitchen. He was halted by a small hand clutching his sleeve. He looked down at the small woman whose cheeks were red and eyes stared up at him, as big and wide as a doe's.  
"You two just relax at the table," Kagome's blushed intensified as she spoke. "Tonight, is entirely on me!" She told him while giving her chest a light thump of her fist.  
"Okay," He gave in easily, feeling lazy after a long, boring day anyway. "What's on the menu?"  
"You'll see~" She chimed while skipping happily into the kitchen, the slight raising of her legs giving Saitama a glimpse of her pink, silky panties. Saitama twitched and immediately turned away to sit at the dining table across from Genos.  
After a couple of minutes of Kagome scurrying hastily back and forth between the kitchen and the dinner table, the feast was finally spread across the center of the table. Saitama stared at the assortment of dishes with wide eyed, blank face. "There we go~ We can start now!" She announced after setting a whole, baked chicken down in front of Genos.  
"What are you up to?" Saitama asked while raising an eyebrow suspiciously at her.  
"Sensei, I believe that Kagome is simply trying to do kind deed for us," Genos chimed in.  
"That's right~ I'm just that type of person~" Kagome beamed at her blond friend.  
"Traitor," Saitama mumbled as he began filling his plate with a bit of everything.  
"Quiet, you~" Kagome nearly sang as she watched her friends all of her dishes. Sure, she spent more than she normally would on food today but it was worth it! She really wanted to spoil them for all of the times that they indulged her and her antics~  
"May I have something to drink?" Saitama suddenly asked while looking at her.  
"Eh- Right! I forgot the tea!" She exclaimed while lightly bonking herself on the head. "I'll be right back, okay~?" She asked rhetorically while jumping to her feet and scampering back into the kitchen to fetch their beverages. Meanwhile Genos silently analyzed his sensei's actions as the bald man openly stared at the woman as she exited and re-entered the room with a tray in her hands. "Sorry the wait~" She apologized with a smile as she placed three cups on the table and began distributing the tea.  
"Kagome," Genos suddenly called for her attention as she handed Saitama his cup.  
"Hm?" She simply asked, smiling down at the cup but still actively listening to the cyborg.  
"I analyzed Sensei's behavioral and biological patterns and have concluded that he is most stimulated when you are in his clothing," He stated informatively and rather bluntly as he accepted his cup of tea.  
"Sppfft!" Saitama spat his tea out as Kagome's eyes lit her up and she cupped her hands. "G-Genos!" the exposed hero protested while throwing his follower a warning glare.  
"Is that so?" She asked in awe. She then turned to look at Saitama with a cattish smile, "So that's your kink, huh~?" She teased while giggling behind her hand.  
"It is not, b-baka!" The bald man stammered a bit as he looked away, trying to hide his blush.  
"On the contrary, Sensei," Genos interjected. "I observed that youhave stared at her 350% more than usual tonight. Your heart rate has also accelerated mor-"  
"Genos…" Saitama mumbled in a dark tone as his facial expression became grave. "Do you want to be punched?" He asked in a deep voice.  
Genos sweated a bit and looked a bit startled, "No, Sensei-!"  
Kagome laughed as she leaned over and patted Saitama's shoulder, "Don't worry, Tama~" she said in reassuring tone, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"  
"I am not emb-!"  
She then placed her hands on her cheeks, blushing a bit as she smiled affectionately. A sparkly background appearing as she added, "It's okay to love me~"  
Genos raised his and voiced his opinion, "I concur! Sensei and Kagome would make a great cou-"  
Before the two continue double-teaming him, the bald man grabbed one of their cheeks with each hand and gave them both a slight pinch, "Cut it out, you two. Your alliance needs to end here and now."  
Kagome groaned as she rubbed her reddened cheek, "Jeez, you need to learn to take a joke, Tama!"  
Saitama replied bluntly, "You may say that but Genos, here," he gestured at the cyborg with his thumb, "Is dead serious. I don't even knowif he's capable of joking."  
"Actually, Dr. Kuseno has used his genius to ensure that I am capable of all ordinary human activities, including humorous endeavors," Genos explained while raising a finger. "Observe. Knock, knock."  
Kagome beamed and played along, "Who's there~?"  
"I am," He concluded, his voice and face as calm as ever.  
Kagome faltered as Saitama sweatdropped and stated," I don't think that's how that works, dude."  
Kagome gave her best considerate laugh before she noticed Saitama chewing on a baked chicken leg…and the boney remains of the other leg sitting on his plate. "Hey now! I wanted the other leg, Tama!" She exclaimed with almost watery eyes.  
"Oops."  
"No, oops! You always hog- Oomph!" Her complaining was cut short by Saitama casually pushing the remainder of the leg into her mouth. She glared at him but chewed on it, instantly feeling satisfied by the gesture.  
Genos watched the scene unfold with a small smile. Once again, he found that he was touched that his sensei had found someone who cared about him and who he obviously cared for in return. He almost pointed out how Saitama was a bit of hypocrite with how he scolded his follower for always pampering this young woman when he too was always quick to give into her blue eyes. Still…his chest felt oddly tight despite that all of his systems were green and functioning properly.  
________________________________________  
I know that I wormed my way into your lives.  
I know that acted informally with you right away, without really having the right to.  
I know that I took advantage of your kindness so many times.  
But I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, honestly.  
I was just acting on my feelings and listening to my heart.  
And my heart told me that I wanted to be with you.  
Saitama grew silent as he continued reading the end of the letter in his head as it became more and more intimate. Nothing in the letter was particularly shocking or eye-opening to him, but he pressed on and read it in its entirety.  
I noticed that lately our relationship has become a bit ambiguous.  
I don't know if you feel the way but that's how it feels to me.  
I'm probably being presumptuous but…  
I feel like you might feel the same way that I do.  
But you've been holding back while I've been pushing forward.  
I'm sorry for acting so selfishly and nothing of what you want more often.  
The hero stiffened as he read the next part of the letter. He did not expect her to be so observant and to know him so well… 'I should have known that she'd know me… She's been watching me all of this time.'  
I wonder if you're holding back because you're afraid of dragging me into danger.  
Or maybe you're holding back because you don't want to hurt Genos…  
Don't worry. I feel the same way.  
I love Genos too. I don't want to see him hurt either.  
So I feel uneasy about moving forward sometimes, knowing how he feels about me.  
You two are so sweet together. Genos is my little cinnamon roll and you're my /u/ !  
Saitama stifled a laugh at Kagome's use of a cute emoji instead of an actual noun to describe him.  
I don't to ruin your friendship.  
So that's why I decided to move on.  
"…" Saitama was unaware of how his face visibly paled. Genos however detected his massive fluctuation in heart rate. "That…idiot..." He whispered, feeling an intense concoction emotions that no one person ever elicited from him at once.  
You know how I just graduated last week, right?  
Well, I decided that I'm going to start my life anew somewhere~  
I'm not sure where I'll go or what I'll do yet but I'm sure that it'll be fun~  
I got the feeling that you two would try to stop me so that's why I'm telling this via letter.  
First… Let me say what I wanted to on the day of our reunion…  
"Genos…" Saitama whispered, "I'll be back. Take care of lunch while I'm gone."  
"Wait, Sensei," The cyborg suddenly called out as his mentor opened the front door.  
"What's up? I'm in a hurry," Saitama blinked and asked curiously.  
"You and Kagome…don't have to be considerate of me," the young man stated. "Besides Dr. Kuseno, you two are the most important people in the world to me… Ever since I lost my family, I thought that I was alone-"  
"Twenty words or less, dude."  
"R-Right!" Genos gave his sensei a thumbs-up, "Go get her." Before adding a small smirk appear on his face, "But just know that I will work hard to catch up to your strength and I will steal her away."  
Saitama merely smiled at the cyborg and half joked, half challenged with a thumbs-up of his own, "We'll see about that." And with that, he took off in a rush towards the train station. According to the letter that she had written a few days prior, he had about an hour before her train arrived. 'Kagome, I'm coming.'  
Did I ever get to ask you if you were embarrassed to date a civilian?  
'You did. You were just too drunk to remember.' The hero raced until he was out on a busy street with countless vehicles zooming by. He easily leaped from car roof to car roof as he rushed around the city to find Kagome. His first destination was the train station to check if she may have gone there early.  
Hehheh, I know that I'm probably too weak to stand by your side.  
But if you'd let me, I would be, forever and ever.  
'What do you think I've been doing all of this time, baka?' He mentally asked her, as if she could hear his thought from where ever she was.  
If only I could travel back in time*, I'd go and relive these years all over again.  
You'd think that I would told you how I felt after all of this time.  
Even though I acted confident and flirted with you a lot, I was still nervous about it.  
The truth is…  
Saitama grunted as his eyes scanned left, right, up, and down and he searched high and low for Kagome in the crowds upon crowds of busy commuters. It did not help that she was a bit short for her age!  
Saitama, I'm your biggest fan.  
I've absolutely adored you ever since the night that we first met.  
________________________________________  
Kagome sighed as she sat idly on the dock where she first met Saitama. The tides were low so her legs that swung over the edge of the platform could not reach the surface of the water. Sitting next to her was her small suitcase of her essential worldly belongings: some clothing and other personal items. She smiled wistfully down at the strip of photos from a photo booth that she, Saitama, and Genos once squeezed into after she gave them her infamous puppy eyes. Her blues eyes misted up before tears pelted the slick surface of the photos one by one.  
The top photo was a normal one where Kagome smiled brightly; Saitama yawned; and Genos stared directly at the lens calmly. The second photo asked them to act surprise: Kagome placed her hands on her cheeks and opened her mouth to simulate "The Scream"; Saitama's face had big, bulging eyes; and Genos stared at the lens calmly. The next one the machine instructed them to make silly faces so Saitama crossed his eyes while Kagome grabbed the edges of Genos' mouth and stretched them out into a huge, creepy smile as she stuck her tongue playfully. Finally, Kagome's face was complete red as her companions who were sitting on each side of her both kissed her cheeks, as the machine suddenly instructed.  
'At least…I'll always have this. I'll be able to see their faces every day,' She comforted herself inwardly before a cruel, powerful gust of sea wind swooped in and snatched the photo strip free from her hand. "Eh?! No!" She shouted as she stared in shock at her souvenir danced happily as it was carried up and away by the wind. "You gotta be kidding me!" She shouted while stomping her feet. For a moment, she was angry…but that anger was soon replaced by a wave of sorrow. It did not matter if anyone saw or heard her. She wept openly and loudly. Her hands covered her eyes but those small hands could not hide the endless trails of tears that poured that streamed down her face. 'Why is it that I only feel lucky when I'm with Saitama and Genos?' She asked the gods miserably.  
"Jeez, you really ought to take better care of your things," a familiar voice said calmly from behind her.  
'No way-' Her midnight sky colored hair cascaded around her as she whipped to face the voice head on. "Sai…tama…" She whispered as her red, puffy eyes stared at him in disbelief. It felt like she was dreaming, just as on that fateful night. But it was real, and so was he.  
Saitama shook his head at her while smiling and holding up her precious photo strip between two fingers, "You want it, don't you?" She nodded quietly while wiping her tears away as he approached her. He smiled warmly as he held her precious souvenir out to her. Kagome gave a small, watery smile as her hand slowly reached for-  
"Eek!"  
{SPLASH}  
Kagome gasped for air as she resurfaced then cringed at the taste of salty water in her mouth. She glared up at the hero who was standing at the edge of the dock, smiling casually at her. "What was that for, you jerk?!" She shouted as she extended her arm towards him. He complied and reached down to grab her hand and pull her back onto the dock with ease.  
"That was punishment for being stupid," He replied simply while grabbing her suitcase and walking away from her.  
Kagome huffed and glared at his back before running to catch up to him, "What do you mean stupid?!"  
"Well," The egg head explained, "You left a runaway note and told exactly when you'd be running away. You were practically begging to be caught."  
Her cheeks darkened as she retorted, "I was not! I was just…I didn't think that you'd come looking for me…" her voice trailed off as she stared at the ground.  
But it's not just that one night that I'm talking about.  
I'm grateful for all of the time that you've spent with me.  
I'm grateful for all of the times that let me stay with you with no questions asked.  
I'm grateful for how many times you've walked me home from work.  
All of it…everything that you could possibly think of- I'm grateful for.  
Saitama looked up at the sky to avoid her gaze, even though she was walking behind him with her head down. "Well uh…" He began, not realizing that he was blushing a bit as he spoke, "How could I just let you go after you sent me that letter?" Kagome groaned aloud as she covered her face with her hands. "Besides I still owe you an ass-kicking on Manlio Kart** for all the times you cheated," he added.  
"I did not cheat! You just suck ass at steering!"  
I'm grateful to the gods for allowing me to meet you.  
Saitama…you're…  
"Ahhhh," The bald man suddenly sighed aloud. "You walk too slowly," he said before crouching down to the ground. "Hop on. We need to get you dry quickly or you'll catch a cold."  
Kagome raised an eyebrow, "even though you're the one who got me all wet in the first place?" she asked while climbing onto his back.  
He grinned cheekily over his shoulder at her and teased, "Hot."For setting herself up for that jole, he smiled inwardly and once again, forgave her for blatantly inhaling his scent and sighing deeply, as if she was drunk off of him.  
"Oh, shut up, baldy!" Kagome huffed before laughed when he threatened to throw her off if she said that one more time. "There's no way that you'd seriously let me get hurt so I'm not afraid~"  
"What makes you so sure?" He asked while glaring up ahead, still annoyed at being called bald.  
The woman on his back tightened her grip around his neck as she leaned close to his ear. The light feeling of her breath sent delicious tingles down his spine. "Because," she whispered, "you're my hero…"  
________________________________________  
[Omake]  
"Uh… Tama… what's going on here?"? Kagome asked as she blinked down at the single futon laying in the middle of the living room floor. "Where's Genos?" She questioned while propping open her suitcase to find some dry clothes to wear.  
"Oh, I found a note," He said casually.  
"What does it say?" She asked, temporarily abandoning her clothes to stand by Saitama's side.  
"Sensei, Kagome… I have prepared a futon for you, fore I presume that you will want to copulate upon your return. The lunch that you requested is in the refrigerator. I will return by 6PM to give you enough time… Genos." Saitama's eye twitched as he finished reading. "That guy-… Ah?"  
Kagome nibbled on her bottom lip cutely as she stared up at him with seductively timid eyes, "Well, if that's what you want," she whispered as she closed her eyes and leaned up towards her hero's face- "Kyaa!" -only to have Saitama hold her back with one finger to her forehead. "Hey! We have his permission, baka!" She exclaimed while pouting.  
Saitama stifled a laugh before he smiled at her regardless, "You're such a dork."  
"That's my line!" She pouted while crossing her arms. "You know you want me," she mumbled.  
"Do you want me to break your back that badly?" He asked, tilting his egg-shaped head with a goofy face on.  
Kagome pretended to mull over the question for a moment... "Maybe…"  
"Fine," Saitama replied, giving into that youthful, sweet face that he came to love. He crossed his arms and stated firmly, "But first, you must service me to prove how badly you want it."  
Kagome nodded enthusiastically as she began to unzip his body suit to reveal his muscular physique. "Yes, Master~" She replied submissively as she got onto her knees and set his hot rod free.  
Saitama's serious face almost broke as he felt himself twitch and stand at attention after hearing her say that. 'Okay…' he admitted to himself. 'That was hot.'  
________________________________________  
Authoress' Notes:  
* Did I succeed in irony? ( o u o)' cause that's what I was aiming for...  
**This was a shameless reference to the hilarious game in Limitless Musing's "Kazoku" : s/11621063/1/Kazoku  
*** This may have been better as a series of smaller drabbles buuuuuut since I don't know how long I'll be actively writing, I just went for a longer, one-shot ~  
I probably ruined the cute ending that I was aiming for with this omake…but oh well. can't fight the right side of my brain!  
I hope you all enjoy reading~ If enough people ask for it, I'll write the sequel that I've been thinking of ~  
If not, oh well! I had a blast just writing this one ^ u ^  
Title: My Hero  
Category: Anime/Manga » Inuyasha  
Author: The Amazing Sakumachan  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M  
Genre: Romance/Humor  
Published: 04-16-17, Updated: 04-16-17  
Chapters: 1, Words: 21,253  
________________________________________  
Chapter 1: My Hero  
________________________________________  
Summary: Saitama and Genos receive a box of fan mail. Meanwhile, a dreamy-eyed maiden hopes that her number one hero will read her letter. (One-Shot)  
Authoress' Notes: This came out weirder and longer than expected. But hey- an idea comes and my fingers move. Enjoy if you can~ ; w ; I know that it's waaaaaaay too long but it just kind of happened! As a warning, try to read it with an open mind because I wrote it the way that I envisioned an anime episode featuring this story would be like...if that makes sense _ I hope that it's not too hard to follow!  
Pairings: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… kind of Saitama x Kagome x Genos? Idk what I'm doing here.  
Rating: M for some language and subbbbbttttllllee mature themes!  
________________________________________  
[ My Hero ]  
Genos was almost speechless from the anticipation that was hidden behind his stony, amber eyes at the sheer number of letters inside of the huge, box that was airmailed from the Hero's Association. Saitama whistled to express that he was rather impressed. "Wow," the older of the two young men's tone did not change from its usual casual as he commented at the small mountain of fan mail, "that's quite the haul this time."  
The cyborg gave a curt nod as he began to sort and sift through them, "You are right." He replied as he meticulously created two separate piles: one for him and one for mentor. "But we both have much more active lately so it is to be expected."  
Although he did not get his hopes up, Saitama smiled a bit and asked with a small hint of excitement to his voice, "Hey, any for me this time?" Although the letters were numerous, Genos' spectacular reading ability made the sorting job simpler and quicker than any human would be able to.  
"There is one, sensei," Genos replied as he turned away from his pile of fan mail to hand his mentor the one piece of mail that was addressed to him.  
"Thanks, dude," Saitama said graciously as he accepted and gazed down at his letter with a bit of fascination.  
Genos was as anxious as his mentor to find out the contents of the letter, so much that he paid his own mail no mind for the time being. He was on edge from remembering a time not long ago when his sensei received a terrible, angry letter that accused him of being a "cheater". If need be, Genos was ready to incinerate the letter if its contents were of the unsavory kind.  
For a few moments, the two of them remained silent and motionless. Genos sat by his mound of mail and stared up at his master, who stared at the letter wordlessly. A small bead of sweat ran down the cyborg's face, "uh…Sensei? Are you going to open it?"  
Saitama's hardened expression then softened up to his usually goofy one as he placed his hand behind his hand like a skittish boy, "Well…" He admitted with a small, almost embarrassed smile. "I don't know if I can."  
His mentor's reply instantly put the cyborg on edge as he jumped to his feet, "Why is that?! Do you believe the letter to be of ill intent?! I will dispose of it im-"  
Saitama then held his hand defensively at his disciple, "Cool it, Genos," He did not like the blonde's hands were already burning hot, ready to fire and surely blast a huge gaping hole into his apartment. "It's not like that at all, " Saitama explained a smile reappearing on his face when Genos visibly calmed down and lowered his offenses. "This letter-" The self-proclaimed hero-for-fun then held up the letter to Genos' face and elaborated, "-is obviously from a girl," he finished calmly.  
"Huh?" Genos blinked, almost is bewilderment, "A girl, you say?" The cyborg then examined the letter closely. It was encased in a lovely, feminine pink envelope with a lilac-colored floral design at the edges. The flap was sealed shut by bright-red, heart-shaped sticker. "I see…" He felt relief from knowing that but that relief was instantly followed by confusion. "But sensei, why would you not want to open a letter for such a reason? Do you prefer me-?"  
Saitama stared at Genos blankly and interjected with a deadpanned tone," Don't even joke about that, dude." His expression then turned to normal as he explained, "This is my first and probably last letter from a fangirl. It feels like I should cherish it by never opening it." The bald hero then silently wondered if he should encase the letter in its own mini-shrine.  
Genos sweat dropped," But sensei…I'm sure that if she is a fan now, she will continue to write you letters…"  
Something visibly clicked inside of Saitama's head, "you're right! I'll read it then!"  
Genos faithfully sat down in front of his mentor and bowed his head," please read it aloud, sensei!"  
Saitama nodded as he peeled the sticker from the envelope's flap, flipped it open, and finally freed the letter from its encasement. "Here goes… Dear Chrome Dome-" Genos lifted his head and gasped as Saitama's eyes lit up angrily and his other free hand formed a fist, "WHAT KIND OF FANGIRL IS THIS?!"  
"Sensei, you must calm down or you'll ruin your first fan letter!"  
"You're right…" Saitama replied through gritted teeth as he glared down at the letter and continued to read in a hissing voice, "I mean, Saitama-sama…" his expression instantly returned to normal when it realized that the bald insult was a joke. "You probably don't remember me but it's me: Kagome." Both heroes froze at the mention of the sender's name.  
After a few moments of silence, Genos finally asked his mentor, "aren't you going to read her letter, Sensei?"  
The bald hero's face turned into a blank, almost incredulous expression, "She could have just told me in person."  
Genos rubbed his chin thoughtfully and speculated aloud, "Perhaps she has something on her mind that she cannot say to you in person."  
"This is Kagome we're talkin' about, right?" he asked before continuing, "She talks to me almost as much as you do. This is probably another prank of hers," he concluded dismissively, but while smiling fondly at the thought of her. The hero soon turned his attention back to the sheet of parchment in his hand. "You must be wondering why I'm writing to you," he read the next sentence. Ah. She hit the nail on the head without even being in the room. "Well, I've wanted to tell you something very important for a while now. We never seem to speak to each other properly for long and this is much easier for me than to face you in person… You see, it all started that day at the café…"  
And this Saitama read the letter aloud and allowed its contents to take him and Genos on a trip to the recent past…  
________________________________________  
Kagome sighed as she leaned against a shining, wooden counter. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared out at of large, glass windows with boredom. It was 1:00PM on a Wednesday and most people were still in classes or at work. Meanwhile, here she was, working the mid-day shift at a small cafe in the middle of downtown City Z. She was like the other young women who ran the grunt work of the establishment. They were all college students who needed some employment for tuition and other essentials. The job paid well for being an entry-level one. Her shifts were also tailored around her class schedule.  
The only two problems were how boring it could get during slow hours and…  
The familiar bell jingles of a customer entering the premises caught her and the rest of her colleague's attentions. She and the other young women exchanged challengingly glance for a brief moment. All of them were bored of out their minds and looked ready to duke it out for the opportunity to have something to do.  
However, Kagome was the quickest and beat the rest of the crew to the punch as she jumped over the counter to meet and greet their first customer in forty-four minutes. Kagome smiled brightly as she approached the door and coyly straightened her frilly, white apron. "Welcome, my Masters~" She giggled in voice so high and a manner so cutesy that the inner-Kagome inside of her head was bawling from embarrassment. "Table for-?"  
That was when she opened her eyes and noted how the customer were actually a pair of customers. Odd ones. One was a blonde, rather handsome cyborg while the other was a man clad in a ridiculous, yellow body suit. "two…?" She finished, her cutesy tone broke into one of uncertainty as the older man gave her a deadpan stare.  
"That's cringey," he stated bluntly before turning to his company. "Genos, why would you bring me here?!"  
The cyborg replied earnestly, "My apologies, sensei. I assume that treating you to a maid café would be to your liking since you seem to enjoy mang-"  
The yellow clad man then pointed directly at Kagome, to which she blinked as he shouted," Just because I like manga doesn't mean that I'm a pervert who likes things like this!" The young woman was dressed in traditionally black-and-white themed French maid uniform with the main dress being black and the white frilly hem of her petticoat reaching her mid-thighs. The black dress was complemented by shiny black dress shoes, white lacy stockings, and an intricately crafted headdress on top of the black crown of her head. Everything about the woman screamed moe and for Saitama, it was way over the top.  
That struck a nerve in the young woman. It was her turn for her eyes to be set ablaze. She swatted his finger away, causing the two men to turn their attention fully to her. The indignant maid then stood within less than a centimeter away from the offending man. She glared up at his fiercely and was not daunted by their height difference. "Even if you're not into moe, you have no right to be so rude about it!" She lectured him.  
"Say what now?" The manga fan asked blankly, wondering why this woman was seething at him.  
Normally anyone who dared to challenge his sensei would be met by Genos' protectiveness as his loyal disciple, but this small woman was an exception. There was something unintimidating about a beautiful young woman in a maid outfit-. But it could have been anything from her youthful face to her feminine curves…or her lack of height.  
Kagome visibly looked the man up and down. He was clad a tight, bright yellow body suit complete with red boots, gloves, a cape, and even some sort of special belt with a buckle. "Hmph," She huffed while continuing to glare, "You claim to not be a pervert but you walk around in public wearing that getup?" She asked pointedly. "I may be a cringey maid but at least I still have decency," she crossed her arms over chest and added, "baldy."  
A vein appeared on the man's forehead and Kagome smiled cattishly, satisfied that she struck a nerve. Then suddenly, it felt like time had stood completely still for her when she noticed how the man's perfectly bald head reflected the afternoon sunlight like a mirror. 'That head… It feels like I've seen it somewhere before' she thought to herself. But before any more words could be exchanged, the ground began to shake and her colleagues began to scream in terror.  
Kagome too squeaked when she lost her footing and fell to her butt unceremoniously. "What's going on here?!" She shouted over the booming and screaming of her colleagues as they ran out of the lobby and back towards the employee lounge.  
"Sensei," The blonde cyborg stated in a grave tone. "I detect a high-level energy just outside this establishment."  
The "sensei" nodded as he looked at his comrade while re-adjusting and tightening his red gloves, "Right. Let's take it out then find some real food."  
Kagome glowered at the man from her spot on the floor, "Are you implying that our food isn't real?!" The young woman briefly forgot that something possibly dangerous was about to occur. She could not stand this man who was casually insulting her and her workplace. Sure, it was an embarrassing job but she came to love it because of the friendships that she formed with her fellow maids, her manager, and even the regular customers.  
"Oh, you're still?" The yellow-clad baldly asked curiously as he turned to look at her fallen form. "It'll probably get dangerous so you should find somewhere to hide and be safe, "he told her calmly.  
Kagome blinked, taken aback by the man's sudden change in tone and attitude. She stared speechlessly as the two men exited through the front of the building to face to incoming danger head on. "What's with those two…?" She wondered aloud to no one in particular.  
(Outside)  
Saitama and Genos stared blankly at the creature who appeared before them several meters away from the maid café. "You've…got to be kidding me," Saitama said blankly.  
"It would seem that there are all sorts of monsters in this world, sensei."  
It was fuzzy, gray, and the size of a kitten.  
Actually, it was a kitten.  
The monster flew from the sky and landed gracefully in front of them on all-fours was a small, gray, and green-eyed kitten. "It's a cat," Saitama said in half bored, half disappointed tone as they watched it lick one of its paw then seemingly groom the hair on top of its head.  
"This cat is the source of the high level of energy though, "Genos pointed out, his face remaining serious and cold as he stared the creature down and awaited its attack.  
That was when the kitten stopped grooming itself and looked directly at them, "that is correct." It said in a ridiculously high-pitched, cute voice. "I am no ordinary kitten!" It announced as it stood on its hind legs. "I am-!"  
The creature's self-introduction was interrupted by a girlish coo and a cry of, "so adorable~!"  
"What?!" Genos asked as he and Saitama turned around to see the spit-fire maid from earlier standing a couple of meters away from them, her eyes visibly sparkling and her cheeks flushed in admiration for the cute creature. "She did not evacuate like you suggested, sensei!"  
"Ehhh…" Saitama said boredly while picking his nose and looking back at the "threat".  
"Ahem…" the kitten cleared its throat and continued to announce its presence, "as I was saying, I am Bad Kitty! A monster born from the regrets of a manga-loving, socially reclusive geek who never lost his virginity!"  
The brilliance in Kagome's eyes dulled as she asked sharply and looked at Saitama, "So you birthed this cat?"  
"Hey, don't lump me in the same category as hat thing!" Was his protest as he turned his full attention back to the young woman who stared at his pointedly, as if the entire situation was his fault. The bickering trio was unaware of how the now-angry cat creature was slowly growing in size behind them until it overshadowed them completely. The three of them turned around and looked up at the creature that was easily the size of skyscraper. Its cutesy façade seemed to have melted away as its muzzle extended and jutted out large canines and fangs. Its tiny paws were now adorned by claws the length of a street sign and as thick as a car.  
"STOP INTERRUPTING!" The creature roared furiously, "I AM BAD KITTY! AND I AM HERE TO (BEEP) GORGEOUS MAAAAAAAADS!"  
"Oh," Saitama said casually as he turned to smile at Kagome. "That's not so bad. Is he your type?"  
Kagome growled and shook her fist at the hero, "as if, PERVERT!"  
"YOU DARE IGNORE ME?!" Bad Kitty raged as he quickly swatted at them, his paw moving much quicker than what one would guess from his massive size. Genos and Saitama easily scattered and dodged the attack with the maid in the latter's arms.  
Saitama simply landed on top of a car with the maid in his arms, not caring too much that he muddied the sheen of its obvious recent wax job. "Here," he stated while easily setting the young woman down on her feet with one hand. She stared up at him with a dumbstruck expression and her lips ajar in awe. "You…saved me…" She pointed out.  
"Of course, it's my job. He replied calmly. "I'm a hero for fun after all."  
Kagome gasped softly and her eyes widened as the reason for this man's odd state of dress dawned upon, "I see… Well, thank you." She said in a small smile. Saitama blinked as he stared at her for a moment, wondering if her change in demeanor was because she found out that he was a hero.  
"Hey, Genos!" The bald hero called over to his disciple. "You mind taking care of this one for me?" He asked before gesturing to the maid still standing by his side, despite the imminent danger surrounding her. "This one needs babysitting."  
The blonde merely nodded and made a mad dash at the monstrous creature. Genos could tell by the look on Saitama's face that the man was not excited about this monster's presence and did not want to bother wasting time on it. Even though he was using the young woman as an excuse, this disciple saw right through his sensei's façade. Genos nodded to himself, finally, it was time to show his sensei and the world what he was made of!  
"Stand back, meido-san!" The cyborg shouted as he jumped in front of the cat creature to face it head on. He began to charge a massive amount of fire power," I will incinerate this-!"  
Before the enthused young man could complete his sentence, the giant cat creature flicked him away like an insect and bellowed at the sight of his metallic body crashing into the maid café not too far away. "You talk too much!"  
While Saitama did not look fazed or concerned for his comrade, the young maid openly did, "Oh no! He's been hurt!" she cried out as she run from his side and towards the direction of Genos' crash landing.  
"Oh boy…" Saitama mumbled when he saw the cat creature's sight turn to the maid who was running adjacent to him. "This one really does need babysitting." The yellow-suited hero then picked at and groomed his ear with a pinky.  
"Ahaha…" The creature bellowed as he bent down to peer inside of the huge gaping hole in the maid café. "You should be more concerned about yourself, girly…" The creature taunted as he spotted the petite woman kneeled beside a pile of rubble that buried Genos alive.  
Despite her fears, Kagome ignored the cackling monster as she threw brick up on brick aside until she unearthed the cyborg. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked with horror etched as clear as day across her face when she discovered the cyborg to be still alive but cracked and broken here and there.  
His eyes flickered but he opened them nonetheless, "You shouldn't be here…" He told as he attempted to sit up and regain his composure. "It's too dangerous for a civilian."  
Kagome frowned as she wrapped his arm around her shoulder and told him with determination in her voice, "civilian or not, I'm here to rescue you!"  
The blonde shook his head,"I am an S-rank class hero. It is my duty to protec-"  
Kagome glared at him, "Listen, buddy. It doesn't matter who registered as a hero or not in situations like this. People are supposed to help other!"  
Getting his head bitten off by the young woman seemed to have quieted down but the peace did not last long. As soon as she turned them around to escape, she came face-to-face with a gigantic claw. "Down!" She called as she pushed Genos to the floor and dove on top of him protectively. The blonde's eyes widened as his face was stuffed full of her ample, soft breasts. Too afraid to move from her current position and not knowing what to do next, Kagome laid there on top of her charge. This would have been the perfect time for them to be rescued by that yellow hero guy. "Jeez, where is that Sensei Baldy when you need-?!"  
Before she could complete her sentence, a loud sonic boom was heard from outside, followed by the sound of shower of squishy organs and blood raining down from the sky. "I'm guessing…we're saved…?" Kagome asked Genos but she paid him no mind since her attention was focused on the lanky figure who casually waltzed through the hole in the maid café. Kagome glared at him," you're slow."  
Saitama blinked when he saw the compromising position that Genos and Kagome were in. The maid was completely straddling the cyborg with her huge breasts smothering his face. "And you're fast," the bald hero replied nonchalantly.  
"What…?" Kagome blinked and cocked her head to the side for a moment, unsure of what he meant by that until she looked down and realized what she was doing… She shrieked as her face instantly turned bright red and she jumped to her feet, "I-It's not like that, you shameless pervert!" She exclaimed while waving her hands around frantically, "I was protecting him!"  
"Right…" Saitama replied before looking down at the cyborg who laid down scarily still and stiff on the floor, "Genos, buddy, you still alive? Did her boobs suffocate you?"  
"You really are a pervert!"  
He ignored the young woman's accusation as he peered over and down at Genos' face. He was indeed alive and breathing. However, something was clearly off about him as his eyes were wider than usual and his mouth was ajar. An unusual expression of shock seemed permanently plastered on his face. "Did you blow a gasket or something?" Saitama asked curiously.  
The cyborg suddenly blinked and was brought back to reality. He sat up and stated seriously, "Once again, my life has been saved by you, Saitama-sensei." He then turned his gaze upon the maid who was staring at him as worriedly as his sensei was. "And to you, meido-san, who risked her life to-"  
Kagome sighed and cut in, "Sorry to interrupt but my name is Kagome, not meido-san. Use that."  
Genos looked a bit taken aback and then nodded as he finished," Kagome-san, you risked your life to protect my own. Thank you."  
Saitama then scratched his cheek, "That's nice and all but can we go now? I'm starving."  
To Kagome's surprise, the cracked and broken cyborg got to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Yes, sensei," he replied dutifully, like a loyal dog. She guessed that he really did not need her help after all. She gasped sharply when the duo turned to leave.  
"HOLD IT!" She screamed as she desperately grabbed onto Saitama's cape to hold him back.  
The hero blinked as they turned and looked at her. "What now?" He asked. Of course. she was not strong enough to really hold him against his will but he was just the type of guy who rolled with it.  
Kagome hardened her expression and prayed that her face did not betray how she felt inside and portray her thoughts. "You can't leave yet!" She told him. "You need to help me repair the damages caused here!" She explained in a shaky, desperate tone.  
"Uhhh… Put it on my tab?" Saitama asked.  
"We don't do that here!"  
"Okay, goodbye!" He replied quickly as he turned away again, only to find that the woman tightened her grip on his cape.  
"You're not going anywhere!" Kagome huffed and gave his cape a yank, though it did not budge him in the slightest.  
The pang of hunger in his stomach meant that enough was enough.  
"Cut it out, we're busy!"  
"Please, Kagome-san," Genos began, trying to play mediator between the two. Never before had he seen anyone get under his sensei's skin so much in one sitting. This woman seemed more interactive with him than any other civilian. "My sensei is a very busy man-"  
"There's something that I need to talk to you about though!" Kagome insisted while giving the cape another tug.  
"Okay," within the blink of an eye Saitama turned around and had his hands on the hem of Kagome's apron. "Let's see how you like it." The superhuman hero gave the frail piece of cloth a tug. His state of annoyance seemed to have made him forget to hold back more because what he thought was a small tug had enough force to rip and tear off every piece of clothing that the young woman had one that day. "Oops," his face returned to normal as the air grew quiet.  
The young woman was left standing as in nothing but her black shoes and white maid headband. Her breath hitched in her throat as her brain struggled to keep up with the sensation that her body felt and the blurs that her eyes missed. It took four whole seconds her to register what had just happened…  
Kagome screamed and curled into a protective ball to save her decency, though it was far too late for her to save face with the two men who had seen her everything. "Y-You bastards! STOP LOOKING!" She seethed when she noticed that neither men tore their eyes away from her form.  
It was only then that Genos' faces flushed as he was brought back to reality and he covered his eyes, "I-I'm sorry, Kagome-san!"  
"Yeah, "Saitama added in a tone that did not sound sorry at all. It was a tone so casual that it felt uncaring. "My bad," he added.  
"Your BAD?!" Kagome seethed as she scooched herself into a corner when she spotted a crowd of nosy people beginning to form outside. "How am I supposed to go home like THIS?!" Her face was incredibly flushed as opposed to her lightly tanned skin. Her cheeks were puffed full of hot air as she pouted and glared at the man who seemed to infuriate her so.  
"Uhhh..." Saitama looked up at the ceiling for a moment before, "Good question," he commented.  
"Sensei," Genos began while making sure to avoid both Saitama's and Kagome's eyes, "We must do something. It would be very problematic if a young woman were to travel around in such a state."  
For a moment, the young woman squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, as if being unable to see and hear the two men would shut out the reality of the situation. It was an embarrassingly and unbelievable reality that she thought only happened in the ecchi anime that she sometimes found herself watching. 'This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn- Huh?' Her inner mantra was cut short by the sound of unbuckling, cloth flapping, and then the feeling of being covered in something soft.  
Her blue eyes shot open and she was surprised to find that she could not see the background of the café. It was nothing but a white cloth surrounding her. It was like being in bed, sitting beneath her cozy blankets. Kagome then shook her head and nuzzled her way out of the white depths. It was then that she found herself staring up at a cape-less Saitama.  
"You can borrow this," he concluded with a small smile and a surprisingly gentle pat to her head.  
Despite the hero's smile, Kagome frowned in return but accepted the offering. She hugged it tightly around her form like a curtain to hide her naked body from the world. She was so embarrassed that she felt like she was going to die right then and there. The young woman glared at the bald man whose face showed no remorse for shredding her uniform and leaving her in the nude in public. She pulled the cape closer and allowed the lower part of her face to sink into its depths.  
________________________________________  
"kind of nice" Saitama read the line casually, despite how intimate it was. "I didn't realize it back then but the scent of your cape made me feel so relaxed. It was a manly mixture of sweat, musk, battle, and you."  
Genos perked up at the description that she wrote of his sensei's cape. 'Manly scent… It is pheromones that attracts Kagome to sensei so…' he opened his notebook and began taking notes. He inwardly concluded that he would need to work hard to become as worthy of a man as his sensei was!  
"I know that it sounds weird but…" Saitama paused in his reading to criticize the writer. "If she knows that it sounds weird, then why write it?"  
Genos then placed his pen down onto the table and looked at his sensei, "It is because Kagome wants to share everything with you."  
Part of the reason why I was so angry is because everything you did that made me feel so flustered.  
From insulting my job to saving my life to ripping my clothes parts…I wasn't expecting any of it.  
You took me by surprise in a few minutes more than anyone else has in a long time.  
Honestly, I didn't know what to say, how to feel, or how to react, especially when...  
...you didn't seem to recognize me at all.  
________________________________________  
"Eh?" Kagome blinked as another blush spread across her cheeks, "You're taking me home too?!" She could not believe this guy! He had crossed so many lines with her today and now he thought that she would let him walk her home?!  
"I mean, even I would feel bad if I made a naked girl walk home alone," the bald hero explained with a small wave of his hand to emphasize his words.  
Genos nodded in agreement, finally ready to face the pair after he recollected his composure, "Kagome-san, Saitama-sensei is a great hero and could not live with himself if he did not see you home safely," he assured her with a balled up, iron fist that showed his vigor for praising his mentor.  
Kagome sweat dropped then gave Saitama a sideways glance of suspicion, "Is that true?"  
The interrogated then laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head, "Actually, I wanted to make sure that you give my cape back~" he admitted shamelessly.  
{SLAP!}  
Kagome stomped out of the café while clutching the cape close to her body and nearly breathing fire like a raging dragon. Her eye twitched with agitation at the thought of Genos getting her hopes up before getting let down by Saitama.  
The blonde cyborg outstretched his hand towards the young woman and called out, "Kagome-san!"  
She then growled and glared over her shoulder at the duo, "I'LL WALK MYSELF HOME, YOU JERKS!"  
For some reason, Genos found himself almost flinching at the insult directed at him. "I am…a jerk…?" He wondered beneath his breath. "Sensei, do you think that I-?" The cyborg blink before he noticed that this mentor was already down the block, walking not too far behind the seething young woman. "Ah, so sensei insists on seeing her home safely," he concluded. Before he had the chance to even consider joining them, an idea popped into his head and he quickly spun on his heels.  
There on the tile floor laid Kagome's maid uniform that was ripped into several pieces. The cyborg stooped over and collected each piece one by one, examining each of them closely before picking up the other. "They are salvageable," he told himself.  
________________________________________  
The two of them walked in silence with the woman walking a meter in front of the man. She kept her head down to avoid showing her face to the passersby who openly gawked and whispered to each other about how odd the two of them looked. One was a young woman wrapped in a white covering scattered, displaced maid costume accessories; the other was a man in yellow body suit and random heroic accessories. 'When is he going to stop following me?' Kagome thought begrudgingly, pouting internally and externally as she fought that urge to turn around and confront him head on. 'Shouldn't a hero have better things to do?!'  
Little did she know, the laidback hero who trailed behind her with his arms folded coolly behind his head was only thinking of what he should have for dinner tonight. He had no clue how far the woman lived from her work place but he hoped that it was not too much further.  
Oh.  
That gave him an idea.  
Kagome shrieked when she suddenly felt her feet lift off the ground, followed by the rest of her body. "H-Hey!" She cried as in one, swift movement, she was bounced from Saitama's hip to on top of his back. Despite her protest, she instinctively rested her hands on his shoulders. "What do you think you're doing now, Mister?!"  
Without turning to meet her gaze, which was most likely intense from the anger that she seemed to frequently suffer from, he replied while cupping his hands beneath her bottom. "Getting you home will be faster this way."  
"Hmph," Kagome huffed and looked away from him, even though he was not even looking at her. "You just want an excuse to touch me~" she half joked and half excused.  
"Even if that were true, it's not like you're protesting that much," he pointed out nonchalantly before changing the subject, "So…where to?"  
Kagome found herself feeling dazed and dizzy from the ride home. It literally went by in a blur and what usually was a forty-five-minute walk (one that she took to and from work to save money on transportation expenses) turned into a two-minute run. She shakily climbed off Saitama's back to unlock the door to her quaint campus apartment. She kept the key in her shoe at work.  
"Well…this is it…" She informed him while staring up at the man with a small blush on her cheeks.  
"But…this is a college apartment, isn't it?" He asked while following her inside without bothering asking for permission. He at least had the decency to remove his boots and left them by hers at the doorway.  
Kagome then stopped just short of entering her bedroom and asked back, "yeah, so what?"  
"…aren't you a high school girl?"  
"I'M TWENTY-ONE, YOU IDIOT!" She roared indignantly.  
"Oh." Was his curt reply, he was already used to her dangerously short temper. "What a baby-face."  
Kagome's expression then lit up before she batted her eyelashes cutely, "Glad you think so, Master~"  
This instantly caused Saitama's own face to go sour, "So cringe-worthy…"  
The maid huffed as she dropped her cutesy persona, "Jeez, you're so hard to please. Glad you're not a regular."  
Saitama then smiled and commented," I don't see how anyone could be turned on by that kind of act-" Kagome's cheeks instantly puffed with hot air. "You're actually a lot cuter when you're angry than when you act like that," he admitted with a friendly smile that caught Kagome off guard.  
Despite inwardly feeling happy that someone preferred a more realistic side of her to the act that she and her colleagues had to put on for the sake of the café's theme, Kagome attempted to glare at Saitama and asked, "Is that supposed to make me happy?"  
"Ah? It doesn't?" The hero asked in confused tone as he blinked at her.  
"No! What makes you think that?!" She huffed before retreating into her bedroom to get changed.  
'What a weird girl…' He thought to himself as he stood awkwardly in her small living/dining room. 'She smiled at me for the first time today, but claimed not to be happy.' The hero soon found himself rather bored while waiting for the woman to change out of his cape and into normal clothing. Her apartment really left nothing to look at. It was even blander than his, despite being a bit bigger.  
There were no photographs of family or friends hanging on the walls. There was no television for entertainment. There were not even any books, besides some a slightly disheveled stack of college textbooks sitting on top of her kotatsu. All in all, the lack of personalization to the space made it give off an almost melancholic vibe.  
"Sorry for the wait," Kagome said as she emerged from her room wearing a simple heather-gray T-Shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. "It took a while to find these," she said as she walked up to the hero with his cape folded neatly within her arms.  
"You took a long time…just to find that?" He asked while arching an eyebrow and staring down at her as she stood up on her tippy-toes to re-buckle his cape to his shoulders. From the few seconds that her body was pressed against his, he could smell a light scent of some sort of flower.  
He expected her to snap at him again but instead she laughed lightly and explained before backing away from him with an almost coy smile on her face, "Well, yeah…" she began while placing her hands behind her back and cupping them. Saitama noted how the woman's natural self really was much cuter than her maid façade. "I'm going back to work to see if I can clean it up a bit," she explained. "No one wants to do such dirty work in their nice clothes." 'Should I…ask him…?' she wondered inwardly, not noticing that the man bade her goodbye with a simple "See ya" and wave over his shoulder. It took a moment but she finally gathered up her courage and nodded to herself, 'I'll do it!'  
Kagome then turned around to face the hero, "Would you like to-…?" Seeing that she was alone in the apartment with her door left wide open. "…that guy…" She sighed.  
You suddenly took off without me noticing.  
I didn't get the chance to tell you what I wanted to back at the café.  
________________________________________  
Even though work had been scheduled for the day after the disaster, Kagome was informed that she did not have to go in since owner was still arranging how to go about rebuilding and repairing the damage done. Still, she found herself showing up at her workplace with a broom, dust pan, and a box of heavy duty trash bags. It was not that she enjoyed cleaning for free but she honestly had nothing else better to do, besides study. And with the events of yesterday pressing so hard on her mind, studying was not an option. She needed something to keep her mind numb and her hands busy.  
So there she was, sweeping up dusty and rubble in the warmth of another quiet afternoon all alone. Her colleagues who fled the scene as soon as danger seemed to approach had no clue what transpired or what even attacked them. They felt no obligation to show up and help clean. Last night she received an onslaught of phone calls and texts from worried coworkers, asking if she had escaped the café in one piece since she did not flee with them. Even though she was working for free and working alone, Kagome still found herself grateful that her fellow maids did leave as soon as the going got rough. 'The last thing that I need is for one of them to have been saved by Saitama too…' she thought absent-mindedly.  
The young woman was snapped from her thoughts at the sound of someone's foot stepping on and cracking some of the shattered glass on the ground. She turned around with her broom in hand and was actually quite surprised to find that it was none other than the blonde cyborg from the day before. "Oh, it's you, " she surmised, "What's up? Did you forget something?" She inquired as he approached her quietly with an almost intimidating, stony look on his face.  
"No, I did not," he responded before stopping right in front of her. "But you did," he added while presenting her with a small, cardboard box. Kagome looked unsure for a moment but reluctantly accepted the box from it. He nodded to her to open it and she nodded back before slowly lifting the lid.  
"Oh… Is this…?" She whispered as she stared down at what appeared to be her maid uniform for work. She sat the box down on the floor before raising the uniform up to look at it in its entirety. "My uniform?" She asked while looking at the cyborg, utterly confused about how he could have gotten her a new uniform when they had to be custom-made by their company's supplier.  
"I took the liberties of repairing it for you as thanks for protecting me, "Genos told her as he watched her examine and awe at his handiwork. "I hope it is to your liking, Kagome-san!" He exclaimed while giving her a deep but formal bow at his waist with his arms stiffly at his sides.  
To his surprise, the young woman laughed blissfully and nearly tackled him as she threw her arms around his neck in an appreciative embrace. "Thanks a bunch, Genos!" She chirped before pulling away to smile up at him sweetly.  
The cyborg ignored the odd feeling that he felt in his chest when he saw her smiling face. Somehow, it felt like she was glowing when she looked at him so fondly. "It is the least that I could do…" he insisted before tearing his gaze away from her. It felt as if he continued to look at her, he would find himself caught in a sort of hypnotic trace.  
"No really~" She added as her smile got wider and her eyes began to sparkle, "I was so angry yesterday because the company charges us for replacement uniforms!" She finally looked away from the cyborg to admire her newly repaired maid costume, "but this looks as good as new! I'm so impressed that you're so skilled at sewing!"  
Genos then nodded as he looked around the café and assessed the damage that was done to the place, "Do you need assistance in cleaning? I see that you are working alone."  
Kagome smiled and shook her head from side to side, "Nah, don't worry about it~ I only came here because I needed something to do." She placed her broom against a table and clapped her hands together, "but now that you're here, I'm not completely alone! Wanna do something?" She asked hopefully while staring up at Genos with wavering, puppy-like eyes.  
Genos rubbed his chin for a moment and looked thoughtful, "Well…I do need go grocery shopping for sensei and I. We are lowing short on-"  
Kagome gasped and jumped closer to him, almost nose-to-nose as she stared into his eyes with fists balled up near her chest, "You mean that you two live together?!" she asked in an overly shocked manner.  
The thoughtful expression on Genos' face changed back to his usual stoic one, "We do. It is more convenient for me to learn under sensei that way."  
Kagome's face then changed to a slightly pouty one as she sighed, "How nice…~" She gave a small, wistful smile before adding, "I'm a bit jealous~" before laughing at herself to disperse what could have turned into a depressing atmosphere.  
Being as straightforward as he was, the cyborg did not hesitate to ask out of sheer curiosity, "Are you jealous that I am living with Saitama-sensei?" The blonde's amber eyes readily connected to woman's blue eyes as he searched for an answer within the windows of her soul.  
However, as soon as their eyes met, Kagome's retreated to the side as her cheeks flushed, "Don't be ridiculous!" She said defensively, "It's just that I don't have a roommate living with me anymore!" She explained as she looked at the ground. "Sometimes, it gets a little lonely, that's all!" She added with giving him a half-hearted glare. Honestly, it was much easier to glare at Saitama than Genos. The cyborg felt more genuine and curious, like a puppy discovering the world for the first time.  
"I see," the cyborg replied while looking thoughtful once more. "Shall I ask if you can move in wit-?"  
"No-THANK YOU!" Kagome interjected while placing a hand up. "Let's just get out of here, okay?" She changed the subject immediately. The last thing she needed weighing on her mind was the thought of living with the two extremely attractive heroes.  
Genos nodded, willing to follow her lead just as quickly as he would his mentors, "Sure, let's. But let us depart for our apartment first, I need to do inventory of our current food stock."  
Kagome nodded and laughed lightly as she latched onto his arm in a chummy manner, unintentionally brushing her breasts against his exposed synthetic skin. She felt him stiffened a bit and waved her hand dismissively, "Come on now, Genos~ You don't have to be formal with me~" she told him sweetly, "I just call you Genos without an honorific after all so just relax~ We're friends, aren't we?"  
Their walk back to Saitama's and Genos' apartment was a pleasant and most comfortable one. The duo found themselves feeling more natural around each other than expected. For the first time in a long time, Kagome felt like she had a friend who she could laugh freely with. And for the first time in a long time, Genos felt like he was an ordinary human being. Their conversation most consisted of Kagome asking her new friend a question and him replying with a long, convoluted answer. The cyborg had quite the motor mouth, especially about Saitama, whom he adored and his past. But Kagome did not mind the chatter one bit; it was nice to have someone to talk with outside of work after all.  
The young woman found then began to notice that the two of them were leaving the "safe" side of the city and venturing deeper and deeper in a sector that she and no one who she knew before yesterday dared to go… It was a borderline slum with trash about, dark alleys, and many uninhabited homes. "Ehh…" Kagome laughed nervously, "Genos…do you two really live here?" She asked unsurely, being in this area of the city made her feel a bit uneasy, despite being with a hero. Her senses were tugging at her, telling her that something sinister was lurking about somewhere not far.  
Genos merely nodded and continued his long story about how he came to live with Saitama as he led her up the black, iron stairway to the front door. Kagome noted how he opened the door without unlocking it with a key and called as they stepped in, "Sensei, I brought a guest over!"  
Kagome felt a bit nervous being in the bald hero's home but curiously peeked from behind Genos' taller form nonetheless, "Hello, hello~ Look who's here~" she added in but tilted her head to the side when no one seemed to answer. "Aww, no one's home," she concluded as she followed Genos further into the more than humble abode.  
"It would seem that sensei had some errands of his own to take care of," Genos pointed out as he placed the box that held Kagome's uniform on the floor next to a moderately-sized bookcase that was filled to the brim with manga. "Would you mind waiting here while I check the kitchen?" He asked politely as he walked towards the kitchen area.  
Kagome shook her head and smiled, "Go ahead, I'll be fine~" she told him as she eyed the bookcase curiously. 'I wonder what type of manga he likes…' The blue-eyed woman then reached out and plucked a random one from the shelf. It appeared to be the average shounen genre manga. While she did enjoy reading those and watching their anime counterparts, Kagome was not here at the bookcase for her own entertainment. No… She was a woman a mission to find out-  
"What's this guy's kink?" She whispered to herself as she scanned the spines of each manga individually, searching for something that she could use. "Every manga geek has one…" she told herself. Hell. Even she had a fetish for kuudere-type characters and bishies. They were just so lovable!  
Sorry. In hindsight, maybe it was wrong of me to look through your manga collection without permission.  
Then again, you had it out in the open so it wasn't supposed to be private, right? Oh well. Too late now.  
I didn't realize it at the time but I was so curious about you for a reason.  
________________________________________  
The trip the supermarket turned out to be just as pleasant as their walk from the café to the apartment, if not even better. Genos explained to Kagome how much Saitama loved sales and saving money since he did not have much and she wholeheartedly agreed with him. She was no low-ranking hero, but she was the average university student: broken. "I am surprised that Sensei is not here himself. He usually the first one at the door when a sale is taking pace, "Genos pointed out while filling a plastic bag full of discounted leeks.  
Kagome nodded and smiled fondly as her eyes glanced over the prices of fruit that were adjacent to the vegetable section that Genos was taking care. The duo was nearly back-to-back as one grabbed vegetables and the other grabbed fruit and placed them into their shared shopping cart. "Hey, Genos…" she suddenly called. The cyborg turned around and saw the woman comically standing in front of the citrus section with a small tangerine in one hand and a luscious grapefruit in the other. She held the two fruit in front of her chest, as if comparing them to her breasts and asked with a determined look on her face, "What size does Saitama prefer?!"  
Genos sweat dropped, "I am unsure of how to answer that question…"  
To make matters even worse for the poor guy, Kagome then placed down the tangerine and picked up a cantaloupe, "Or could it be that he's the melon type?!"  
Time seemed to fly by much quicker with Genos' new friend than when he shopped or cooked alone. He was more than impressed about how having one extra person along for a task could change the entire atmosphere. Shopping that used to feel like a necessity if not a complete chore turned out…dare, he thought it…fun? Kagome was an oddball of the special variety. She had times where she was sweet and innocent, accidentally making his heart race with a small action like bumping into him while walking. There were other times where she was more impish but still in a cute way. All in all, the cyborg found him enjoying the time that they spent together.  
After hours of errands and cores, it was around 7PM at night and their dinner was just about ready for serving. Kagome's eyes sparkled at the sight of the hotpot simmering with slices of beef, eggs, and veggies. She wafted the heavenly aroma to her noise and made a humming sound of contentment,"Mmm, sukiyaki in late summer~ I feel so spoiled~!" She commented since sukiyaki was typically a winter dish. But the two agreed that their haul from the sale called for a dish that would do all of their procured treasures justice all at once.  
Genos nodded and added, "I'm sure that Sensei would appreciate a hearty meal like this as well. He should be home any minute now."  
Kagome smiled as an idea popped into her head, "that reminds me of one last thing that I want to do today! Come on, I need your help!" She urged the cyborg while taking his hand and all but dragging him out of the kitchen and into the living room.  
Genos looked down at Kagome with his usual expression and began to ask, "What is it that you need to-?"  
"Turn around for a minute," Kagome commanded but in a tone that did not come off as "bossy". The cyborg complied, despite being confused about how she could need his help while he did nothing but stand there and face the opposite direction. Genos, being a calculating as he was, set a sixty-second timer and waited patiently while staring at the wall as he watched the numbers inside of his head countdown to zero.  
Once the timer stopped, Genos turned around to look at his friend, "What is that you nee-?!" only to find that his eyes met the sight of Kagome's panties-covered rear-end. She was in nothing but her matching light-blue bra and panties and bent over to step into her maid uniform.  
Kagome's face immediately turned red as she yelled, "Wait, I'm not ready yet!"  
And as cruel fate would have it, the front door opened and in stepped Saitama in all of his yellow-suited, bald-headed glory. "Genos, I'm bac- …Ah." His expression, of course, was that pokerface that Kagome learned to be his mood-neutral one. His wide but blank eyes stared at the scene before him as Kagome and Genos stood frozen in place in an awkward silence. Kagome was still bent over, in nothing but her underwear while Genos stood dangerously close behind.  
From Saitama's perspective, he just walked in on something that was…  
"I-it's…" Kagome was the first to speak but her breath was caught in her throat. "-n-not…"  
Finally Genos recovered from the shock that seemed to override his systems and took over for her, "What she means to say is, it is not what it looks like Sensei," he informed his mentor calmly, "We are in this situation because Kagome was in dire need of my assistanc-"  
"Gross. That's enough, dude."  
"W-What?! It's really not what it looks liiiiiiiiiiikeeeee!"  
________________________________________  
What Kagome had hoped to be a peaceful, comfortable dinner for three turned out to be the exact opposite: it was so awkward, for her at least. While Genos did not seem bothered by what had just transpired, she was still quite flustered. It did not help that the bald man sitting directly across from her had been staring at her non-stop with that blank expression on his face during the entire meal. Even when he was shoveling food into his mouth, he was staring at her relentlessly with those big eyes of his. Even when she tested to see if he was staring at something behind her by scooting to the left and right, those eyes followed her where ever she went. It was so unnerving! She wished that if he had something to say that he would just come out and-  
"Oh." Finally, he spoke, a small smile replaced that unnerving blank stare. "You're that maid from yesterday: Kahuna!" He stated triumphantly, as if he just made an exciting discovery!  
Kagome slammed her head against the table before glaring at the man sitting across from her, "It's KAGOME, you idiot!"  
"Ohhhh, riiiiight," he replied while scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I knew that I've seen you from somewhere before but I couldn't put my finger on it." With that mystery finally solved, Saitama continued popping slices of savory beef into his mouth.  
"You can't be serious…?" Kagome glared at him with a deadpanned tone.  
"Do not worry, Kagome," Genos spoke up suddenly. "My Sensei here is a good man. He is just so preoccupied with his daily quotas that his memory fails him sometimes."  
"Well, to be honest," Saitama added as he eyed another slice of beef in the pots of goodies. Kagome huffed as she watched his chopsticks reach out to pluck the meat from the brew. The annoyed young woman reached over to the hotpot with her own chopsticks to thwart Saitama's plot of dominating all of the beef strips! "You look like a chick that I banged in a dream once," he said casually. Kagome's chopsticks stopped just short of the beef as she froze. "Oh, cool," he smiled while grabbing the forfeited piece of flesh. "More for me~"  
Genos noted Kagome's bright red face and incredulous expression and decided to step up for her, "Sensei, please. It is inappropriate to tease her like that at the dinner table."  
Kagome shook her head and crossed her arms, "Thanks but that's not it, Genos."  
"Oh? Then you are not upset about Sensei ruining the mood with his perverted humor?"  
The answer to the question even piqued Saitama's interested as he stopped picking over the vegetables to stare at Kagome as she played with a lock of her hair, feeling a little embarrassed under the scrutiny of the two men. "No, "She quickly with a small pout at her lips. "I'm upset that he thinks that it was a dream, "she admitted, her eyes settling on the shining table surface as heat rushed to her cheeks at the sound of the two men choking on and spitting out their meal.  
The confession even had Genos acting out of character, his pale cheeks now flushed bright red, his blonde hair standing on end, and his eyes widened, "S-S-Sensei, is this the truth?!"  
"Uhhhhh…" Saitama scratched his cheek while looking up and away, avoiding Genos' and Kagome's eyes as she did to them. "I guess…it's possible," he concluded with a smile, despite his shock and even hidden embarrassment.  
Kagome finally got the courage to look up from the table and at Saitama's face, she was grateful that he was not looking at her back this time. "We met before yesterday…" She said nervously, her voice wavering with embarrassment. Yes, she usually avoided embarrassing situations but this case was different and special to her. She needed to do this. "It was a bit over a year ago…" The two men fell silent as they listened to her story. "I was at a beach party with my friends. Of course, we're in college so a lot of people got drunk. Some jerk hit on me and got rejected so he took my key-ring and threw it into the ocean…"  
________________________________________  
['Dammit! Why is this happening to me?!' Kagome thought to herself miserably and angrily as she sloshed around in the frigid, dark waters, searching fruitlessly for her lost apartment key. Her so-called "friends" had long gone home or to a guy's house, leaving her on the beach alone well past 3AM. Despite being cold and wrinkly, Kagome's hands continued to search through salty water, sand, slimy weeds, and rock to find that familiar feel of jagged metal. Every minute or so, she would break the surface again to rest her arms and gasp for air. After what felt like hours of scrambling, she decided to call it quits. Her body was not going to tolerate the elements for much longer.  
Despite giving up on her futile attempts to find her key, Kagome did not return to her apartment yet. It was not like she could get in anyway. Instead, she opted to sit on the dock and watched the big, white moon command the dark waves to taunt her about her powerlessness. Suddenly, she knew what would make her feel even just a little bit better. The young woman got to her feet, balled up her fist, and screamed as loudly as she could into the silent night. She screamed and screamed out her frustrations and anger about the cruel hand that fate dealt her today.  
"Uh… Are you okay?" Came an unfamiliar, masculine voice from behind her.  
Kagome screamed again, but this time in fear and not anger, and jumped as she turned quickly to face the stranger, "W-Who are you?!" She asked nervously while looking the man up and down. He had a perfectly bald head that reflected the moonlight, an odd yellow body suit, and a cape. "A cosplayer?" she asked hopefully, silently praying that he was a nerd and not some random pervert.  
"Actually, I'm a hero for fun," He replied with a smile, "What are you doing out here so late? And why are you soaked?" he asked, a hint of concern was hidden within that curious tone.  
Kagome shook her head and shifted on her feet in an embarrassed manner, "I uh…lost my key in the sea.." she stated skittishly. It was far too personal to tell a stranger about how she was sexually harassed and that's how she ended up losing her key.  
"Oh," the stranger's face turned a blank one, "Well, that sucks."  
"Yeeeeeaah…" Kagome averted her eyes from him for a moment. That simple reply in that nonchalant tone made her feel awkward somehow.  
"Okay, wait here," he commanded nonchalantly. Before she had the chance to even ask him what he was going to do, the hero leapt so high into the air that his bright-yellow suit faded into the darkness of the night sky.  
"Uh..what?" She asked dumbly as she gawked up at the stars, wondering just what was going on.  
A few seconds later, the swooshing sound of air molecules parting as a high velocity figure dove into the sea. The impact was so great that Kagome was sent flying backwards a few feet but she managed to sea that for a moment, the sea had parted, revealing the sandy, rocky, and weedy floor. If she were not freezing her butt of from being soaked, the young woman would have thought that she was dreaming! Once again, before she had the chance to even process what happened, a red gloved hand took hold of her own and dropped her key into it with a simple, "Here~"  
Kagome looked up at the face of the total stranger who dive-punched the ocean to find her lost key. She was beyond astonished, almost speechless. She did not even care that his face was rather goofy looking when plastered onto that egg head of his. All that she knew that if she said nothing, it felt like her heart was going to jump right out of her chest. So she acted on her first impulse, which was to throw her arms around the neck of the man and pour heart out, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"  
"Eheh, no problem~ It's what I do," the hero replied while patting the small woman on the head like a child. "Now let's get you home, eh?" That said, the bald man showed her his strong back before squatting down.  
"O…okay…" She said unsurely as she climbed onto the stranger's back. Despite living in Z City all of her life, she had never met a hero in person before. While she did not necessarily expect for them all to be snobs, she also did not expect to find one that was so kind-hearted and sweet.  
"So…where to?" The bald man asked as he stood up to his full height with Kagome on his back.  
"Um…do you knew where Z University is?" She asked back.  
"Oh, so you're a college girl," He stated rhetorically as he took off into the night at a speed that was fast, but not fast enough to be put his new charge in danger of falling off. "You look a lot younger" he told her while making small talk.  
Kagome merely laughed into his ear, "Yeah, I get that a lot," she told him. She smiled at her reflection in his bald head. Her cheeks were a soft hue of pink and a content smile was on her face. This was definitely the best part of her day. 'I'm sure that not everyone gets the opportunity to spend time with a hero like this… I should make the best of it~' She told herself inwardly as her smile widened at her own thoughts. "Hey, hero?" She asked.  
"Hm?" He tried to turn his head and look at her but she clung too closely for there to be much room for movement. "What's up, kiddo?"  
Kagome found that it was easy to be open and honest about her feelings when he was unable to look at her face, "You've made my night amazing~ Thank you so much!"  
"Eheh, glad that I could be of service," He replied modestly, she could practically hear his smile.  
"May I ask a favor of you?" She pressed on.  
"Another favor?" He asked in a playful tone. "You're running up quite the tab, missy."  
Kagome merely giggled and gently squeezed his shoulders, "you'd have my eternal gratitude~."  
"Fine, fine," He sighed as if he were going to deny her request, even though she was sure that he would not have.  
"I've dreamed of being able to fly like a bird," She told him. "You're super strong. Wanna help me out?"  
"Eh," His tone turned a bit more serious. "That sounds a bit dangerous for a girl like you."  
"Oh, come on!" Kagome urged while playfully kicking her legs and lightly pushing on his backside.  
"O-Oi!" He called back at her, tightening his grip on thighs, showing that he was actually concerned about dropping her. "Don't be so pushy! I'm the one in charge here!"  
Kagome rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, "yeah, yeah. Big hero. Blah, blAHHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly in the middle of her mocking him, the bald man hurled her through the air like a professional American football player would.  
Meanwhile Saitama stood there for a moment, watching the young soar through the night air, "Ah…maybe I threw her too hard," he wondered as he watched her small body stay airborne for longer than expected. He shrugged before dashing and leaping into the air to save her life. To his surprise, instead of screaming in terror, the strange woman was laughing her ass off when she landed in his arms bridal-style.  
"T-that was awesome!" She exclaimed through her teary eyes and fits of her laughter. She wiped a tear away before smiling up at him. "You're the best!" She told him with a goofy, lop-sided smile, obviously drunk off of her adrenaline rush. Saitama merely stared down at her and laughed as well. "Oh… We're here," she blinked as they landed right in front of her apartment.  
"Yup, ride's over," he told her as he sat her down on her feet. He held out a gloved hand and smiled, "Now pay up, missy," he teased, obviously wanting to end their encounter on a light-hearted note.  
But Kagome was not ready for their encounter to end.  
"Sure," She whispered before quickly leaning up to the man and pressing her soft lips against his. To her surprise, his lips were warm and softer than she expected for a manly hero. And the rest was history…]  
________________________________________  
Saitama looked completely dumbfounded as Kagome stopped her story before getting into the dirty details,"…huh, so that night wasn't a dream… Weird."  
Kagome's dreamy-eyed expression instantly turned into a sour one, "You're the only weird one here…" she said sharply before eyes went aflame, "And stop eating all of the beef, dammit!"  
Genos sent a stern look to his mentor and nodded his head in agreement, "Kagome is right, Sensei. I have tallied your total number of meat strips consumed to be at twenty-two. Kagome and I only put thirty in the entire pot."  
"Okay, one more then," The bald-headed man stated while reaching for a final-  
Kagome dove across the table and slapped the hero's hand like a naughty child, "No more! Save some meat for me, dummy!"  
Genos sweat dropped in the background, "I think you mean, save some for us…"  
Saitama then turned into serious mode. His facial features becoming sharper and much more devilishly handsome. Kagome's breath hitched into her throat at the face. It was the face that remained the center of her wet dreams for months since that night. "I've got some meat saved for you right he-"  
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, you creep!" Kagome screamed with tears in her eyes and her cheeks dyed a deep red as she grabbed Saitama by the collar and shook him senseless, all the while he merely smiled widely and laughed at her expense. Meanwhile Genos watched the pair while taking the last eight pieces of beef for himself. His mentor was laughing in an oddly amused manner as the tiny woman shook him hard to break a normal person's neck. Seeing two people who he liked so much get along made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.  
To keep the good mood rolling, the cyborg urged his mentor and Kagome to try to recall more details about their first encounter. The answers from the two were nothing short of hilarious and embarrassing with the two of them taking shots at each other every chance that they could.  
"I was only going to make-out with him," Kagome said at one point in a matter-of-fact tone. "He's the one who got hard from a little kissing!" She laughed at the blank face that she received from Saitama.  
He then retorted in a monotone voice, "It doesn't take much to get your rocks off."  
"H-humph! Says the guy who thought he could please a girl with the pace of a half-dead turtle~"  
"Ah," Saitama paused for a moment. She had a point but there was a reasonable explanation for that, "you told me that it was your first ti-"  
Once again, Genos found himself choking on his dinner. Kagome was instantly at his side, holding up a cup of warm tea up to his lips and helping him wash down the half-masticated food. The raven-haired woman glared at Saitama who blinked and stared at his disciple with his mouth ajar and eyes wider than usual, "Woah, Genos, you okay?"  
"You idiot! That was too-much-information! You almost killed poor Genos!" Kagome scolded him while caressing the cyborg's pale cheek tenderly, a look of concern on her face.  
Perhaps it was all the talk of love-making that had went on but just the light touch of her dainty fingers against the cyborg's face sent electric pulses coursing throughout his body. He shivered and unintentionally leaned into her touch.  
"Ah, my bad, dude," came his mentor's reply.  
Once Kagome determined that the blonde was in no danger of asphyxiating on his meal, she promptly returned to shaking Saitama senseless.  
Yes, indeed. It was a wonderful sight to behold someone getting along with and appreciating his mentor as much as he did…  
…but it was also somehow oddly uncomfortable. Something about watching them made him feel a bit uneasy. 'I will ask Dr. Kuseno to check my wiring to make sure that nothing is malfunctioning.'  
Kagome had no idea how things led up to this but here she was in another odd situation. She was laying on her side in the darkness of a small, cramped living room. Her body was squeezed between her two male companions. Even after Saitama moved the table into the kitchen, the small living area was packed. Okay… There actually was enough place for all three of them to sleep on the floor with elbow room but somehow, night time seemed to be an especially magical time where everything went terribly wrong yet terribly right at the same time.  
At first Kagome could not sleep and laid awake on her back while staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. She spent a lot of time wondering what Saitama and Genos truly thought of her, especially after her confession of their meeting a year ago. At first, she thought that it would be awkward and Saitama would be creeped out that she wanted to get to know him further after that one-night stand. But the hero, nor pupil, seemed to mind her presence at all so she was unconsciously encouraged to stay a lot longer than she intended to.  
Even after telling you that we've met before, I still didn't get the chance to tell you everything that was weighing on my mind for an entire year.  
Like…for instance… I wanted to tell you about how much I regretted not ever asking for your name or getting a way to keep in touch with you.  
I searched and searched for you on the Hero's Association registry and found nothing. I was so confused and disappointed. Even if you didn't feel anything for me romantically, I still wanted to get to know you.  
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, her body naturally shifted uncomfortably as her bottom began to go numb. Instinctively, she turned to her left and laid on that side. Upon opening her eyes, she expected to see Genos' back about a half meter away but instead, she came face-to-face with the cyborg's sleeping …well, face. Her eyes widened as she blushed from their proximity. Sure, she was pretty friendly with him but she was not quite ready to be so close that she could feel his shallow breaths against her lips.  
The young woman shut her eyes and then decided to turn and lay on her right side, where Saitama was situated. 'Jeez, Genos… Thanks a lot,' she thought bitterly, not daring to open her eyes quite yet. 'You would end up so close to me like that!' It just was not fair! Even though she did not have any romantic feelings for the cyborg, she was still a young woman, ripen with desires and hormones and in her prime! She was not blind to how astonishingly attractive he was! When he was awake, and interacting with her, it was easy to be his pal and ignore ogling him. When he was sleeping so soundly so close to her…that was an entirely different story. Her mind left to wonder over what her body felt.  
"What's wrong? Stomach ache?"  
"Eh- Saitama?" She asked, cheeks flushing when her eyes open in response to the sudden voice. "You're awake?"  
His signature big eyed, blank stare was her only answer.  
"Oh, uh…" She stammered, realizing that he was waiting for an answer. "No, I just…can't sleep…"  
"Ah," he propped his head up using his elbow as he continued staring at her. "You're not thinking of jumping my bones again, are you?" He asked with a light-hearted smile.  
Kagome's face went beet red as she whisper-shouted, "A-As if! That was a one night thing!"  
It was only after the hero laughed that she realized that he was only messing with her again. He smiled and added, "Too bad~ I was looking forward to it too" he teased, expecting another cute reaction that he was becoming more and more fond of.  
Instead she took him by surprise by smiling impishly and placing a small hand on his hip, "Well, if you insist…" she trailed down to his inner thigh, "We can give it a go if you can be quiet~"  
"O-Oi!" The bald man protested in the quietest voice he could muster as for once; his own cheeks were dyed light shade of red as he glared at the evil young woman lying next to him. "That's playing dirty!" He told her before turning away to face the wall and hide his face. For a moment, he completely lost his usual composure and was actually flustered.  
Kagome merely giggled, not feeling bad about teasing one bit. It felt rather goodto get so deeply under his skin. But she decided to be nice and not pursue the matter, "Okay, okay~ I'm sorry~" she said in an appeasing pat him on the back gently to apologize. Though she would never admit it, she would have minded if something actually did happen between them in that moment.  
"Kagome, Sensei, I detect that your levels of dopamine, oxytocin, amongst other hormones are increasing at an abnormal rate. Shall I perform a physical exa-"  
"G-Go back to sleep, Genos!" Kagome commanded.  
Within in an instant, the cyborg was laying back down in his futon with an obedient, "Yes, ma'am."  
________________________________________  
It was another low-traffic, boring afternoon at Maid Paradise, Kagome's workplace. Despite early afternoons being slow, no one on shift was ever sent home early like workers in fast food companies. So here she was again, sitting unladylike on the front counter where customers came to pay for their meals before leaving, and chatting with her fellow maids about the usual: their favorite heroes. It was only after she reunited with Saitama that Kagome actually found the conversations interesting. Usually she spaced out and pretended to listen to the chatter by smiling and nodding her head in agreement to whatever someone said.  
Yuka, a young woman with bone-straight, shoulder-length black hair clapped her hands together as she gushed over the thought of her favorite hero, "I'm so glad that I was off last night! Amai-Mask appeared in a special interview on channel five yesterday!"  
Eri, a sweet-hearted woman with naturally wavy hair that Kagome found herself secretly envious of, nodded twice enthusiastically, "I know, right?! He's so beautiful and elegant- like a true prince~" Kagome sighed inwardly despite her outward brilliant smile, she wondered if anyone would ever bring up heroes who she actually cared about: Saitama and Genos. She visited them so often and sometimes stayed over for extended periods of time that she was borderline living with them. She did not need a top three favorite heroes when she already had two who she knew person-  
"Kagome-chan! Helloooooo? Are you going to answer?" Eri asked curiously while waving a hand in front of her colleague's face.  
Eri then pointed out and giggled when Kagome's face flushed in embarrassment at being caught spacing out, "I bet Kagome-chan got so caught up in the conversation that she daydreamed about her dreamboat~"  
The three young women squealed like high school girls at the thought of it. This caught the attention of the three other maids on duty: Koharu, Kagura, and Ayame and the seven maids formed a circle of young women leaning against counters, brooms, or sitting on buckets, chatting about their fantasies.  
"So Kagome-chan, who is it~?" Ayame asked in a sharp tone. "It better not be my Speedy Tail!"  
Yuka rolled her eyes at the red-haired, pig-tailed maid, "Oh can it. Kagome-chan isn't interested in your Koga guy," She told her while crossing her arms, "Not when heroes like AMAI-MASK EXISTS~!" She added in a dreamy voice.  
That was it.  
"Enough speaking up for me!" Kagome interjected. "I can speak for myself, thank you very much!"  
"Then do it already!" the rest of the maids yelled back at her collectively, causing her to wince at the sheer volume and pitch of their cacophony.  
"Fine…" She mumbled while tucking some of her long hair behind her ear. "My favorite heroes are…" She trailed off for a moment, a bead of sweat running down her forehead at the sight of her colleagues slowly inching towards her in anticipation. "…G-Genos and Saitama!"  
The café was quiet for a moment…  
"…who are they?" came the first whisper.  
'Crap…' it felt like a large weight crashed down onto her shoulders when Kagome realized that most people called their heroes by their assigned nicknames! "U-Uh…I mean uh… The Demon Cyborg and…"  
Kagome winced again when the group of maids shrieked in perfect unison, all of their eyes glowing brightly as they cupped their hands together.  
"The Demon Cyborg… He's so handsome~!"  
"And he looks so cool and collected all of the time!"  
"I wish he'd look at me with those sexy eyes!"  
Kagome huffed, as she did not get to finish telling them about how much she adored Saitama. The group of maids went off on a tangent about how cool and attracted Genos looked. As much as she too liked Genos. She still wanted to talk about… "SAITAMA IS THE COOLEST HERO OF ALL!" She suddenly screamed over everyone with her fists balled up passionately. She did not know what came over here but there it was: her heart on her sleeve. "HE'S STRONG, KIND, AND HANDSOME, EVEN IF HE'S BALD!"  
"B-Bald…?"  
"Saitama..?"  
"She can't mean Caped Baldy, can she?"  
"The rank leecher?"  
"Mou…" Kagome huffed but resisted the urge to stomp her feet childishly like she did with Saitama. "You should know not to judge someone by rumors before you get to know them! You should act more like adults!" She chastised them with inflated, reddened cheeks.  
Ayame smiled and poked Kagome's cheek, deflating the air that was puffing them up, "Look who's talkin', Mrs. Puff~" she teased and her fellow maids joined her for a collective laugh at Kagome's expense.  
________________________________________  
It was an oddly peaceful day in Z city today. No dangerous leveled threats were terrorizing the citizens like they usually did. No random villains crashing through the ceiling to challenge Saitama or Genos. It was a perfect day…too perfect. It was a nice, quiet day that mainly consisted of Saitama slouching around with a manga and Genos catching up on housework. All was calm and right until…  
{Knock, knock}  
The blonde cyborg peered at his mentor from the kitchen door, "Sensei, I believe that Kagome has come to visit us again." Genos stood there for a moment with a mop in hand before he heard another pair of soft knocks at the front door. "Shall I let her in, Sensei?"  
Saitama scratched his head before hopping to his feet, "Nah, it's cool. I got it." He felt like getting under her skin by making her knock at least two hundred times before he answered, but with how earnest Genos was…he would never be able to pull off that troll with his disciple around. "Yeah, yeah…" He almost groaned as he unlocked and opened the door.  
Kagome was still dressed her maid costume as she greeted him with an alluring, coy smile while squirming in a timid manner, "H-how…may I serve you today, Master?" She asked before slowing batting her eyelashes.  
For a moment, she felt victorious as he stared at her with wide eyes and slightly ajar lips…  
"…goodbye," was his reply as he moved to swing the door closed.  
"Wait, a sec!" Kagome shrieked as she threw her feet in the door at the last second. "I was kidding, jeez!"  
Saitama stared at Kagome with his blank, goofy face.  
Kagome stared at Saitama with her pouty, puffy face.  
Genos looked between them both with his typical, focused face.  
"Well? What is it this time?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You show up whenever you have a bad day."  
"H-Hey, not true!"  
"Sensei, she is correct. Kagome shows up good moods very often."  
Saitama looked uninterested as he picked his nose with one hand and held up his manga in the other.  
Kagome's pouted deepened, "I want you to come to Maid Paradise."  
"Nope," the bald man replied while turning a page.  
Genos held up his hand like a child in a classroom, "I am willing to visit your work place, Kagome."  
Kagome laughed sheepishly as her eyes shifted from side to side as she tried to think of the kindest way to put her next thought, "Well uh…I actually don't need you to come, Genos."  
Instantly, the cyborg deflated and his bangs shielded his eyes and he fell into a depression.  
"W-Well, that doesn't mean that I don't want you there though!" Kagome added in as her arms flailed about. "You're naturally invited if I invite Saitama!"  
Genos' head immediately lifted as he returned to normal rather quickly. When it came to Saitama and Kagome, this particular cyborg was easily pacified.  
Kagome then turned her attention back to Saitama, she clapped her hands together and smiled brightly, "So? How about it, Tama?" She put a sweet emphasis on the new nickname.  
The bald man did not seem phased by the nickname at all as he did not look up from his manga, "Genos can go. That place looks expensive. I'm not made of money."  
"…I'll make your entire meal free," Kagome said.  
"What day and time?!" He suddenly was on his feet with balled up fists.  
"Tomorrow, 1:30PM~" Kagome smiled as she made her own determined fists.  
"Sensei, you fell for her bait hook, line, and sinker."  
The maid then waved Genos off, "come on now~ All is fair in love and war! Let's go celebrate!"  
"Is today a special occasion?"  
"Of course! It's "Kagome Conquered Saitama Day"!"  
________________________________________  
"Eh… You okay?" Saitama asked Kagome, who was sitting on a stool next to him with deeply flushed cheeks and hazy eyes. When he saw the young woman wobbly from side to side, he placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her, "Oi! You had too much!"  
Kagome merely groaned as if she were tired before turning to her left to look at her companions. "I…did…NAWT!" She exclaimed in a slurred protest. "You're not having fun…?" She glared at him and pouted as usual.  
The bald man gently swished his drink around in his tiny, shot glass and replied, "Meh, ever since I became this strong, it takes a lot longer for me to get buzzed."  
Kagome frowned as she leaned over and wrapped her arm around Saitama's shoulder and whined, "Mou, superhumans like you are no fun!" She then looked beyond him over to Genos, who was sitting to Saitama's left and two stools away from her. "Nee, Genos… Are you as alcohol tolerant as Tama here?"  
The cyborg looked over at her, his normally pale cheeks had a slight red tinge to them, "As a cyborg, I too require a large amount of alcohol to become intoxicated, but it is not impossible."  
Kagome grinned cheekily at hearing that and leaned further on Saitama until her torso was sprawled across his lap. She ignored his signature "Oi!" that he used to get her attention or protest against her to give Genos a toothy smile and raise a toast to him with her ½ full shot glass.  
"That's what I like to hear~ Drink up with me! You're the best, Genos!" She encouraged him.  
That encouragement, praise, and smile was all that the blond needed to proceed tossing back shot after shot while the remained in Saitama's lap, clapping and cheering for the cyborg gleefully. "Go, Genos! Go!"  
"Are you even allowed to get drunk, dude? It won't scramble your circuits?"  
"…..I assure you that my body is strong enough to hiccup handle something as hiccup trivial as liquor."  
Kagome giggled and fist pumped the air, "That's the spirit, Geny! You're awesome!" She then looked up at Saitama's blank expression, "not like this stick in the mud," she added sourly while glowering at him.  
Saitama merely sighed and smiled while patting her head, "You're such a brat."  
Kagome pouted before laying her head down in his lap. The hero tensed when her cheek landed on a rather personal area. "Tama…can I ask you something?"  
"You're going to ask no matter what I say."  
"S-Sensei…hiccup…you should take it easy on he-ccup every once in a while…"  
Saitama gritted his teeth and glared at the blond, "Don't side with this brat!"  
"Saitama…" Kagome whispered while tugging on his shirt, successfully bring his attention back to her. "…i-is a citizen girl like me no good?" She asked in a soft voice. The hero-for-fun found himself almost speechless at the sight of her deep, tender-looking eyes.  
"Eh?"  
"Or do you prefer women who look more mature?" She asked with a small pout on her lips. She continued asking questions without waiting for answers, "Do you really hate my job that much? …Am I not girlfriend material to you? Would dating someone like me be too embarrassing?"  
For once Saitama felt caught off guard, even flustered. If his two companions were not wasted, they would have noticed that he was blushing the way Kagome usually was from his teasing. He looked left and right to make sure that no one was around to witness his embarrassment. Fortunately, the only other person inside of the small, adult lounge was the bartender, a much older gentleman who was too busy cleaning glasses to notice their conversation, or just "heard it all" before so didn't care.  
"I-Idiot, what are you going on about so suddenly?!" The hero asked as he pulled the woman off his lap with one hand and placed her back onto her stool. Despite his annoyance at her antics, he still had the heart to hold her steady by her shoulder.  
"Sensei…hiccup…" Genos completely turned his body so that it was facing Kagome and Saitama. His hands were resting on each leg as fists. Despite his red cheeks and occasional hiccups, Genos maintained his usual expression, "I too am curious about how you feel about Kagome. Please answer us."  
Kagome giggled as she slumped against Saitama again, "See~? Even Genos wants to know! Tell us, Tama~!"  
"Sensei, please…" The intoxicated cyborg began to imitate Kagome in whining to her way to victory.  
"Tama…" she tugged on his shirt. "Tama. Tama. Tama. Hey, Tama. Tammmmmaaaaaaaa."  
"Sensei. Sensei. Sensei. Sensei. Sensei." He tugged relentlessly at the other side of Saitama's shirt.  
Saitama found himself becoming more and more annoyed by the obnoxious duo who was double-teaming him into submission.  
"Taaammmaaa! Tammmmaaaa!"  
"Senseiiiiiiii. Seeeeeenseeeei."  
More and more angry veins popped out of his shining forehead.  
"ENOUGH, YOU IDIOTS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE THIS DAMN ANNOYING!"  
Genos then shrunk away with his head bowed in shame and dejection, "Y-Yes, Sensei…"  
Once his disciple was taken care of, Saitama then turned his attention to Kagome who was leaning her forehead against his shoulder, grumbling about something incoherently. "As for you!" He continued to yell while lifting her chin up by one thumb to force her eyes to meet his. His usual comical face suddenly transformed into a more serious and defined, chisel form. "You want to know?" He asked in a voice so low that it made Kagome shiver in delight. She nodded slowly as she was too entranced by his face to speak.  
Even in her drunken haze, Kagome instinctively leaned up closer to Saitama's face as his slowly closed the distance between them more and more. She closed her eyes and awaited the soft contact that she had no felt in a year.  
{DOINK!}  
Saitama flicked her forehead, causing the young woman to squeak in surprise. "H-Hey! You're such a tease!" She glared up at him as her eyes clearly burned with disappointment. She groaned and wobbled as he pulled her to her feet with one hand.  
"Time to go," He announced before looking at Genos, who was still lamenting over his mentor exploding at him, "You okay to walk, dude?"  
The cyborg attempted to nod his head affirmatively but instead ended up face planting onto the hard bar counter surface, creating a small crater in the marble.  
Saitama stared at his disciple with a blank expression, "…I'm not paying for that."  
Man… Kagome was a bad influence on Genos. Never before had the cyborg been such a pain in the ass.  
'But…it's become a lot more fun too…' The bald hero thought to himself as he tucked each of his companions beneath his armpits like sacks of potatoes. He looked down at the maid who grinned up at him with a large, toothy smile and smiled. 'You annoying girl…'  
________________________________________  
Saitama carefully laid (the passed-out) Kagome down onto the spare futon that Genos had purchased especially for her visits. He removed her frilly maid headband and then her dress shoes. 'Genos must be rubbing off on me,' he thought to himself when he noticed how he was working hard to make sure that she was comfortable. His dark eyes settled on her stock-covered legs… They looked skin tight and probably uncomfortable to sleep in. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he stared at her thighs. His fingers grabbed a loose hold of the hems of her stockings that clung tighter to her skin due to the light layer of sweat that coated her body from her intoxication.  
He mentally cursed his body's and memory's timing as his hands being so close to her nether regions brought back memories of that faithful. It was just not the hours of passion that came to his mind. It was scenes that seemed to have faded from his mind over time that suddenly flooded back to him…  
________________________________________  
[ The night was hot and sticky with the heat of summer and humidity of the summer. Superhuman abilities be damned. There was nothing worse than a sleepless summer night without air conditioning! Even sleeping naked did his body no justice. "It's HOT!" He shouted in frustration while kicking his hot futon away from him.  
'I need to cool off…'  
That thought led him to pulling on his uniform and heading towards the closest 24-hour store. He was dying for a popsicle! The bald hero even took his time strolling through the empty aisles to bask in the cool comfort of the air-conditioned, brightly lit store. It was not intentional but upon exiting the store, he happened to overhear the banter of a group of young men who was hanging around the store's entrance with clearly nothing to do but talk and talk.  
"So you struck out with that Higurashi chick, huh?"  
"Yeah," another replied in angry tone before he laughed, "But I got her back by throwing her keyring in the friggin ocean!"  
Saitama paused in his strides and licking of his treat to listen closer.  
"Wow, you're a dick!"  
"That's awesome!"  
"Ch'yeah, I know. And I heard that she has no roommate or family nearby so she's probably still out there at the beach looking for them!"  
"Didn't the tide come in by now?"  
"Oh…yeah… Oh well, maybe she drow-…"  
The young man then gulped nervously when he was suddenly overshadowed by a slightly older looking man with a look that could almost literally kill. "You…" Saitama nearly seethed as he placed his hand on the sweating guy's shoulder, "That girl you were talking about… Which beach is she on?"  
The young man looked around at his friends, who were all glaring at their unwelcomed guest, and suddenly felt confident that their numbers would keep him safe. "What's it to ya?!"  
In under sixty seconds, Saitama got the information that he needed and he took off in a mad dash in the direction of the beach. He left the group of college boys lying on the ground unconscious and bruised. His half-eaten popsicle was melting on top of the head of the man who boasted about taking revenge on a woman who rejected him…  
The hero would have preferred that the woman had gone somewhere else but the fact that she supposedly had nowhere to go unnerved him. He had to at least go and look! Within a matter of minutes, Saitama had arrived at the beach that the guys claimed to have been. The entire area that would have been covered in sand during the day was submerged already. He would have given up on searching until he heard a feminine voice screaming out in frustration.  
That was his cue.  
The hero jumped into the air and landed on a dock, the source of the angry screams. And there she was… A young girl in a light blue sundress decorated with a sunflower pattern. Her hair was long, dark and trickled down to her waist. "Uh… Are you okay? He asked her. It was actually pretty amusing to witness her nearly jump out of her skin as she turned to face him.  
It was one of the best nights that he had in a long time. Where he found no joy or excitement in fighting villains anymore, he somehow found a sort of warmth in the short time that he spent with this young woman- who he had mistaken for a high schooler. Ordinarily, he would have pegged her as obnoxious for being so familiar, demanding, and expecting of a complete stranger. But this one was different from most civilians.  
She took his claim to be a hero at face value and seemed to relish in it. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at him and she seemed thrilled to be around him. Best of all, she was appreciative of the favor that he had done for her. Saitama found himself smiling and complying to every request and demand that she asked of him. It was hard not doing what someone so cute and sweet wanted. After he let her experience what she called "flying", she clung to him even harder, though there was no way that she was hurting him or making him comfortable.  
"Hey, Hero…" The blue-eyed woman said to get his attention.  
He looked down at her, "Yeah?"  
"This was the best night ever~" She told him while smiling brightly. "I'll always appreciate what you've done for me! You took the time to help someone like me…" She trailed off for a moment before beaming again. "Thanks again. I love you~!"  
His eyes widened and he looked up ahead of him to hide his pink tinted cheeks. "Anytime," he replied, trying to sound cool and retain her positive image of him. He decided to forgive her for being so bratty and not hiding that she was sniffing him while in his arms.]  
________________________________________  
Saitama smiled fondly at the memory as he peeled and pulled the slightly damp stockings down from her legs and carelessly tossed them away. Genos, who had already recovered from his bout of intoxication, dutifully collected the pieces of Kagome's costume that his mentor discarded without much thought. For once, the cyborg did not speak his mind. He silently watched his teacher take care of the young with a hidden fascination. It did not take a genius like Dr. Kuseno to deduct that even though he did not care to show it directly, Saitama was just as smitten with Kagome as she was with him.  
The blond then placed a hand to his breast plate and left it there. 'What is this tightness that I am feeling?' He wondered as Saitama finally tucked Kagome neatly into her futon. 'My body has been experiencing very peculiar symptoms as of late. Perhaps I am in need of another maintenance.' After deciding to check-in with his doctor and father-figure, Genos proceeded to head to bathroom to hand wash Kagome's sweaty stockings.  
________________________________________  
Kagome slowly blinked her blurred vision away. She was staring up at a familiar ceiling: the one in Saitama's and Genos' living room. 'Why…am I here…?' She thought to herself before groaning at an intense pain in her head. "Tama…" she groaned out while sitting up slowly in her futon. "Genos?" She looked around and listened for the sound of anyone but discovered the apartment to be empty. "Oh… Huh…?" She blinked and noticed a plate sitting on the small dining table. The achy woman crawled across the small floor space.  
A piece of paper that was folded in half to form a tent-shaped note that stood on its own was sitting there. "My name is written on it…" She said to herself. She flipped the note open and read it, "Kagome, you're a light weight. Saitama." Her eye twitched and read a second part to the note, "I left you some pain medication, herbal tea, and lunch in the refrigerator. I took the liberty of calling your manager and told him that you needed the day off. I hope that you recover from your imminent hangover. Genos." She smiled at the note before heading to the kitchen to eat her lunch.  
'Oh…it's 5 already…' She thought to herself with wide eyes. 'How long was I sleeping?!' The young woman would have been freaking out over missing work but she trusted that Genos handled those affairs for her. She did not remember much about the night before besides that she promised to treat her two best friends to a meal at Maid Paradise. 'I guess we need to reschedule that…' she thought to herself. 'Oh well.' With a shrug, she decided to make the most of her evening off~ She drew herself a hot bath and decided to relax before getting started on dinner.  
'Maybe I should go all out tonight to thank them for taking care of me again,' she mused before sinking beneath the surface of the water. 'Yeah, Saitama has been working hard lately… I'll help him out~"  
A few hours later the heroic duo finally returned home after a long, drawn-out meeting for S classed heroes that Saitama was once again dragged into it. The bald hero spent the majority of the meeting spacing out and tapping his foot anxiously, as if he had Restless Leg Syndrome. "Genos, next time there's a meeting you S ranks…don't invite me," he commanded as the cyborg followed his idol into their apartment.  
The blond bowed his head respectfully while closing his eyes, "Yes, Sensei. My apologies. I assumed th-"  
Saitama held up a gloved hand to signal his pupil to be silent. "Hold that thought- What's that smell?"  
Genos closed his eyes and inhaled the lovely aroma filling the room, "I believe that Kagome has dinner prepared." His eyes shot open at the sound of an overly confident, feminine laugh.  
There in the kitchen door stood Kagome with a triumphant, almost cocky grin on her face and her hands on her hips. "It's not just dinner, my dear Genos~ It's our feast!" She announced with pride.  
Instead of smiling and thanking her for being a sweetheart like she had envisioned, Saitama glowered at her as he walked towards the kitchen, "Oiiii…" he grumbled, "Is that my favorite hoodie?!"  
She blinked and looked down at her attire: a baseball styled gray and red hoodie complete with the word "OPPAI" and a pair of cartoony breasts imprinted on the front. "Yeah," she replied innocently before tilting her head to the side, "Why?"  
Saitama stood straight and tall above her to emphasize their difference in height and build. He placed his hands on his hips as he frowned down at her and scolded, "I get that we're close but aren't you getting too cozy around here?"  
Kagome returned his glare with one of her own and a small pout, "well, my uniform was dirty and I didn't have a change of clothes."  
"You could have called," The bald man insisted, raising his voice slightly and adding a bit of sternness to his tone. "You always seem to find a way to reach me. Now bow your head, "he commanded as his face became more serious.  
Genos frowned, feeling concerned about the situation that was unfolding in front of him. "S-Sensei, I think that scolding her is good enough! He spoke up from his spot a few meters away from them.  
Saitama looked over at his pupil, his face still serious, "You being soft on her only enables her," he pointed out, causing Genos' eyes to wide before he shrunk away to mull over his sensei's words. "Brace yourself, Kagome."  
The young woman shut her eyes and kept her head bowed as she waited for the impact: a bop on the head, a flick to her forehead, or a pinching of her cheeks- she was used to Saitama "punishing" her with things like that whenever she "crossed the line". For a moment, there was nothing but silence until she finally felt a strong hand rubbing the top of her head gently. "Permission to use granted."  
"!" Kagome's eyes shot open along with her mouth as she tried to express her frustration in being misled but the playful smile on Saitama's face left her with nothing words caught in her throat.  
"Dinner's in here, right?" Saitama asked curiously while attempting to walk past Kagome to enter the kitchen. He was halted by a small hand clutching his sleeve. He looked down at the small woman whose cheeks were red and eyes stared up at him, as big and wide as a doe's.  
"You two just relax at the table," Kagome's blushed intensified as she spoke. "Tonight, is entirely on me!" She told him while giving her chest a light thump of her fist.  
"Okay," He gave in easily, feeling lazy after a long, boring day anyway. "What's on the menu?"  
"You'll see~" She chimed while skipping happily into the kitchen, the slight raising of her legs giving Saitama a glimpse of her pink, silky panties. Saitama twitched and immediately turned away to sit at the dining table across from Genos.  
After a couple of minutes of Kagome scurrying hastily back and forth between the kitchen and the dinner table, the feast was finally spread across the center of the table. Saitama stared at the assortment of dishes with wide eyed, blank face. "There we go~ We can start now!" She announced after setting a whole, baked chicken down in front of Genos.  
"What are you up to?" Saitama asked while raising an eyebrow suspiciously at her.  
"Sensei, I believe that Kagome is simply trying to do kind deed for us," Genos chimed in.  
"That's right~ I'm just that type of person~" Kagome beamed at her blond friend.  
"Traitor," Saitama mumbled as he began filling his plate with a bit of everything.  
"Quiet, you~" Kagome nearly sang as she watched her friends all of her dishes. Sure, she spent more than she normally would on food today but it was worth it! She really wanted to spoil them for all of the times that they indulged her and her antics~  
"May I have something to drink?" Saitama suddenly asked while looking at her.  
"Eh- Right! I forgot the tea!" She exclaimed while lightly bonking herself on the head. "I'll be right back, okay~?" She asked rhetorically while jumping to her feet and scampering back into the kitchen to fetch their beverages. Meanwhile Genos silently analyzed his sensei's actions as the bald man openly stared at the woman as she exited and re-entered the room with a tray in her hands. "Sorry the wait~" She apologized with a smile as she placed three cups on the table and began distributing the tea.  
"Kagome," Genos suddenly called for her attention as she handed Saitama his cup.  
"Hm?" She simply asked, smiling down at the cup but still actively listening to the cyborg.  
"I analyzed Sensei's behavioral and biological patterns and have concluded that he is most stimulated when you are in his clothing," He stated informatively and rather bluntly as he accepted his cup of tea.  
"Sppfft!" Saitama spat his tea out as Kagome's eyes lit her up and she cupped her hands. "G-Genos!" the exposed hero protested while throwing his follower a warning glare.  
"Is that so?" She asked in awe. She then turned to look at Saitama with a cattish smile, "So that's your kink, huh~?" She teased while giggling behind her hand.  
"It is not, b-baka!" The bald man stammered a bit as he looked away, trying to hide his blush.  
"On the contrary, Sensei," Genos interjected. "I observed that youhave stared at her 350% more than usual tonight. Your heart rate has also accelerated mor-"  
"Genos…" Saitama mumbled in a dark tone as his facial expression became grave. "Do you want to be punched?" He asked in a deep voice.  
Genos sweated a bit and looked a bit startled, "No, Sensei-!"  
Kagome laughed as she leaned over and patted Saitama's shoulder, "Don't worry, Tama~" she said in reassuring tone, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"  
"I am not emb-!"  
She then placed her hands on her cheeks, blushing a bit as she smiled affectionately. A sparkly background appearing as she added, "It's okay to love me~"  
Genos raised his and voiced his opinion, "I concur! Sensei and Kagome would make a great cou-"  
Before the two continue double-teaming him, the bald man grabbed one of their cheeks with each hand and gave them both a slight pinch, "Cut it out, you two. Your alliance needs to end here and now."  
Kagome groaned as she rubbed her reddened cheek, "Jeez, you need to learn to take a joke, Tama!"  
Saitama replied bluntly, "You may say that but Genos, here," he gestured at the cyborg with his thumb, "Is dead serious. I don't even knowif he's capable of joking."  
"Actually, Dr. Kuseno has used his genius to ensure that I am capable of all ordinary human activities, including humorous endeavors," Genos explained while raising a finger. "Observe. Knock, knock."  
Kagome beamed and played along, "Who's there~?"  
"I am," He concluded, his voice and face as calm as ever.  
Kagome faltered as Saitama sweatdropped and stated," I don't think that's how that works, dude."  
Kagome gave her best considerate laugh before she noticed Saitama chewing on a baked chicken leg…and the boney remains of the other leg sitting on his plate. "Hey now! I wanted the other leg, Tama!" She exclaimed with almost watery eyes.  
"Oops."  
"No, oops! You always hog- Oomph!" Her complaining was cut short by Saitama casually pushing the remainder of the leg into her mouth. She glared at him but chewed on it, instantly feeling satisfied by the gesture.  
Genos watched the scene unfold with a small smile. Once again, he found that he was touched that his sensei had found someone who cared about him and who he obviously cared for in return. He almost pointed out how Saitama was a bit of hypocrite with how he scolded his follower for always pampering this young woman when he too was always quick to give into her blue eyes. Still…his chest felt oddly tight despite that all of his systems were green and functioning properly.  
________________________________________  
I know that I wormed my way into your lives.  
I know that acted informally with you right away, without really having the right to.  
I know that I took advantage of your kindness so many times.  
But I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, honestly.  
I was just acting on my feelings and listening to my heart.  
And my heart told me that I wanted to be with you.  
Saitama grew silent as he continued reading the end of the letter in his head as it became more and more intimate. Nothing in the letter was particularly shocking or eye-opening to him, but he pressed on and read it in its entirety.  
I noticed that lately our relationship has become a bit ambiguous.  
I don't know if you feel the way but that's how it feels to me.  
I'm probably being presumptuous but…  
I feel like you might feel the same way that I do.  
But you've been holding back while I've been pushing forward.  
I'm sorry for acting so selfishly and nothing of what you want more often.  
The hero stiffened as he read the next part of the letter. He did not expect her to be so observant and to know him so well… 'I should have known that she'd know me… She's been watching me all of this time.'  
I wonder if you're holding back because you're afraid of dragging me into danger.  
Or maybe you're holding back because you don't want to hurt Genos…  
Don't worry. I feel the same way.  
I love Genos too. I don't want to see him hurt either.  
So I feel uneasy about moving forward sometimes, knowing how he feels about me.  
You two are so sweet together. Genos is my little cinnamon roll and you're my /u/ !  
Saitama stifled a laugh at Kagome's use of a cute emoji instead of an actual noun to describe him.  
I don't to ruin your friendship.  
So that's why I decided to move on.  
"…" Saitama was unaware of how his face visibly paled. Genos however detected his massive fluctuation in heart rate. "That…idiot..." He whispered, feeling an intense concoction emotions that no one person ever elicited from him at once.  
You know how I just graduated last week, right?  
Well, I decided that I'm going to start my life anew somewhere~  
I'm not sure where I'll go or what I'll do yet but I'm sure that it'll be fun~  
I got the feeling that you two would try to stop me so that's why I'm telling this via letter.  
First… Let me say what I wanted to on the day of our reunion…  
"Genos…" Saitama whispered, "I'll be back. Take care of lunch while I'm gone."  
"Wait, Sensei," The cyborg suddenly called out as his mentor opened the front door.  
"What's up? I'm in a hurry," Saitama blinked and asked curiously.  
"You and Kagome…don't have to be considerate of me," the young man stated. "Besides Dr. Kuseno, you two are the most important people in the world to me… Ever since I lost my family, I thought that I was alone-"  
"Twenty words or less, dude."  
"R-Right!" Genos gave his sensei a thumbs-up, "Go get her." Before adding a small smirk appear on his face, "But just know that I will work hard to catch up to your strength and I will steal her away."  
Saitama merely smiled at the cyborg and half joked, half challenged with a thumbs-up of his own, "We'll see about that." And with that, he took off in a rush towards the train station. According to the letter that she had written a few days prior, he had about an hour before her train arrived. 'Kagome, I'm coming.'  
Did I ever get to ask you if you were embarrassed to date a civilian?  
'You did. You were just too drunk to remember.' The hero raced until he was out on a busy street with countless vehicles zooming by. He easily leaped from car roof to car roof as he rushed around the city to find Kagome. His first destination was the train station to check if she may have gone there early.  
Hehheh, I know that I'm probably too weak to stand by your side.  
But if you'd let me, I would be, forever and ever.  
'What do you think I've been doing all of this time, baka?' He mentally asked her, as if she could hear his thought from where ever she was.  
If only I could travel back in time*, I'd go and relive these years all over again.  
You'd think that I would told you how I felt after all of this time.  
Even though I acted confident and flirted with you a lot, I was still nervous about it.  
The truth is…  
Saitama grunted as his eyes scanned left, right, up, and down and he searched high and low for Kagome in the crowds upon crowds of busy commuters. It did not help that she was a bit short for her age!  
Saitama, I'm your biggest fan.  
I've absolutely adored you ever since the night that we first met.  
________________________________________  
Kagome sighed as she sat idly on the dock where she first met Saitama. The tides were low so her legs that swung over the edge of the platform could not reach the surface of the water. Sitting next to her was her small suitcase of her essential worldly belongings: some clothing and other personal items. She smiled wistfully down at the strip of photos from a photo booth that she, Saitama, and Genos once squeezed into after she gave them her infamous puppy eyes. Her blues eyes misted up before tears pelted the slick surface of the photos one by one.  
The top photo was a normal one where Kagome smiled brightly; Saitama yawned; and Genos stared directly at the lens calmly. The second photo asked them to act surprise: Kagome placed her hands on her cheeks and opened her mouth to simulate "The Scream"; Saitama's face had big, bulging eyes; and Genos stared at the lens calmly. The next one the machine instructed them to make silly faces so Saitama crossed his eyes while Kagome grabbed the edges of Genos' mouth and stretched them out into a huge, creepy smile as she stuck her tongue playfully. Finally, Kagome's face was complete red as her companions who were sitting on each side of her both kissed her cheeks, as the machine suddenly instructed.  
'At least…I'll always have this. I'll be able to see their faces every day,' She comforted herself inwardly before a cruel, powerful gust of sea wind swooped in and snatched the photo strip free from her hand. "Eh?! No!" She shouted as she stared in shock at her souvenir danced happily as it was carried up and away by the wind. "You gotta be kidding me!" She shouted while stomping her feet. For a moment, she was angry…but that anger was soon replaced by a wave of sorrow. It did not matter if anyone saw or heard her. She wept openly and loudly. Her hands covered her eyes but those small hands could not hide the endless trails of tears that poured that streamed down her face. 'Why is it that I only feel lucky when I'm with Saitama and Genos?' She asked the gods miserably.  
"Jeez, you really ought to take better care of your things," a familiar voice said calmly from behind her.  
'No way-' Her midnight sky colored hair cascaded around her as she whipped to face the voice head on. "Sai…tama…" She whispered as her red, puffy eyes stared at him in disbelief. It felt like she was dreaming, just as on that fateful night. But it was real, and so was he.  
Saitama shook his head at her while smiling and holding up her precious photo strip between two fingers, "You want it, don't you?" She nodded quietly while wiping her tears away as he approached her. He smiled warmly as he held her precious souvenir out to her. Kagome gave a small, watery smile as her hand slowly reached for-  
"Eek!"  
{SPLASH}  
Kagome gasped for air as she resurfaced then cringed at the taste of salty water in her mouth. She glared up at the hero who was standing at the edge of the dock, smiling casually at her. "What was that for, you jerk?!" She shouted as she extended her arm towards him. He complied and reached down to grab her hand and pull her back onto the dock with ease.  
"That was punishment for being stupid," He replied simply while grabbing her suitcase and walking away from her.  
Kagome huffed and glared at his back before running to catch up to him, "What do you mean stupid?!"  
"Well," The egg head explained, "You left a runaway note and told exactly when you'd be running away. You were practically begging to be caught."  
Her cheeks darkened as she retorted, "I was not! I was just…I didn't think that you'd come looking for me…" her voice trailed off as she stared at the ground.  
But it's not just that one night that I'm talking about.  
I'm grateful for all of the time that you've spent with me.  
I'm grateful for all of the times that let me stay with you with no questions asked.  
I'm grateful for how many times you've walked me home from work.  
All of it…everything that you could possibly think of- I'm grateful for.  
Saitama looked up at the sky to avoid her gaze, even though she was walking behind him with her head down. "Well uh…" He began, not realizing that he was blushing a bit as he spoke, "How could I just let you go after you sent me that letter?" Kagome groaned aloud as she covered her face with her hands. "Besides I still owe you an ass-kicking on Manlio Kart** for all the times you cheated," he added.  
"I did not cheat! You just suck ass at steering!"  
I'm grateful to the gods for allowing me to meet you.  
Saitama…you're…  
"Ahhhh," The bald man suddenly sighed aloud. "You walk too slowly," he said before crouching down to the ground. "Hop on. We need to get you dry quickly or you'll catch a cold."  
Kagome raised an eyebrow, "even though you're the one who got me all wet in the first place?" she asked while climbing onto his back.  
He grinned cheekily over his shoulder at her and teased, "Hot."For setting herself up for that jole, he smiled inwardly and once again, forgave her for blatantly inhaling his scent and sighing deeply, as if she was drunk off of him.  
"Oh, shut up, baldy!" Kagome huffed before laughed when he threatened to throw her off if she said that one more time. "There's no way that you'd seriously let me get hurt so I'm not afraid~"  
"What makes you so sure?" He asked while glaring up ahead, still annoyed at being called bald.  
The woman on his back tightened her grip around his neck as she leaned close to his ear. The light feeling of her breath sent delicious tingles down his spine. "Because," she whispered, "you're my hero…"  
________________________________________  
[Omake]  
"Uh… Tama… what's going on here?"? Kagome asked as she blinked down at the single futon laying in the middle of the living room floor. "Where's Genos?" She questioned while propping open her suitcase to find some dry clothes to wear.  
"Oh, I found a note," He said casually.  
"What does it say?" She asked, temporarily abandoning her clothes to stand by Saitama's side.  
"Sensei, Kagome… I have prepared a futon for you, fore I presume that you will want to copulate upon your return. The lunch that you requested is in the refrigerator. I will return by 6PM to give you enough time… Genos." Saitama's eye twitched as he finished reading. "That guy-… Ah?"  
Kagome nibbled on her bottom lip cutely as she stared up at him with seductively timid eyes, "Well, if that's what you want," she whispered as she closed her eyes and leaned up towards her hero's face- "Kyaa!" -only to have Saitama hold her back with one finger to her forehead. "Hey! We have his permission, baka!" She exclaimed while pouting.  
Saitama stifled a laugh before he smiled at her regardless, "You're such a dork."  
"That's my line!" She pouted while crossing her arms. "You know you want me," she mumbled.  
"Do you want me to break your back that badly?" He asked, tilting his egg-shaped head with a goofy face on.  
Kagome pretended to mull over the question for a moment... "Maybe…"  
"Fine," Saitama replied, giving into that youthful, sweet face that he came to love. He crossed his arms and stated firmly, "But first, you must service me to prove how badly you want it."  
Kagome nodded enthusiastically as she began to unzip his body suit to reveal his muscular physique. "Yes, Master~" She replied submissively as she got onto her knees and set his hot rod free.  
Saitama's serious face almost broke as he felt himself twitch and stand at attention after hearing her say that. 'Okay…' he admitted to himself. 'That was hot.'  
________________________________________  
Authoress' Notes:  
* Did I succeed in irony? ( o u o)' cause that's what I was aiming for...  
**This was a shameless reference to the hilarious game in Limitless Musing's "Kazoku" : s/11621063/1/Kazoku  
*** This may have been better as a series of smaller drabbles buuuuuut since I don't know how long I'll be actively writing, I just went for a longer, one-shot ~  
I probably ruined the cute ending that I was aiming for with this omake…but oh well. can't fight the right side of my brain!  
I hope you all enjoy reading~ If enough people ask for it, I'll write the sequel that I've been thinking of ~  
If not, oh well! I had a blast just writing this one ^ u ^  
Title: My Hero  
Category: Anime/Manga » Inuyasha  
Author: The Amazing Sakumachan  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M  
Genre: Romance/Humor  
Published: 04-16-17, Updated: 04-16-17  
Chapters: 1, Words: 21,253  
________________________________________  
Chapter 1: My Hero  
________________________________________  
Summary: Saitama and Genos receive a box of fan mail. Meanwhile, a dreamy-eyed maiden hopes that her number one hero will read her letter. (One-Shot)  
Authoress' Notes: This came out weirder and longer than expected. But hey- an idea comes and my fingers move. Enjoy if you can~ ; w ; I know that it's waaaaaaay too long but it just kind of happened! As a warning, try to read it with an open mind because I wrote it the way that I envisioned an anime episode featuring this story would be like...if that makes sense _ I hope that it's not too hard to follow!  
Pairings: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… kind of Saitama x Kagome x Genos? Idk what I'm doing here.  
Rating: M for some language and subbbbbttttllllee mature themes!  
________________________________________  
[ My Hero ]  
Genos was almost speechless from the anticipation that was hidden behind his stony, amber eyes at the sheer number of letters inside of the huge, box that was airmailed from the Hero's Association. Saitama whistled to express that he was rather impressed. "Wow," the older of the two young men's tone did not change from its usual casual as he commented at the small mountain of fan mail, "that's quite the haul this time."  
The cyborg gave a curt nod as he began to sort and sift through them, "You are right." He replied as he meticulously created two separate piles: one for him and one for mentor. "But we both have much more active lately so it is to be expected."  
Although he did not get his hopes up, Saitama smiled a bit and asked with a small hint of excitement to his voice, "Hey, any for me this time?" Although the letters were numerous, Genos' spectacular reading ability made the sorting job simpler and quicker than any human would be able to.  
"There is one, sensei," Genos replied as he turned away from his pile of fan mail to hand his mentor the one piece of mail that was addressed to him.  
"Thanks, dude," Saitama said graciously as he accepted and gazed down at his letter with a bit of fascination.  
Genos was as anxious as his mentor to find out the contents of the letter, so much that he paid his own mail no mind for the time being. He was on edge from remembering a time not long ago when his sensei received a terrible, angry letter that accused him of being a "cheater". If need be, Genos was ready to incinerate the letter if its contents were of the unsavory kind.  
For a few moments, the two of them remained silent and motionless. Genos sat by his mound of mail and stared up at his master, who stared at the letter wordlessly. A small bead of sweat ran down the cyborg's face, "uh…Sensei? Are you going to open it?"  
Saitama's hardened expression then softened up to his usually goofy one as he placed his hand behind his hand like a skittish boy, "Well…" He admitted with a small, almost embarrassed smile. "I don't know if I can."  
His mentor's reply instantly put the cyborg on edge as he jumped to his feet, "Why is that?! Do you believe the letter to be of ill intent?! I will dispose of it im-"  
Saitama then held his hand defensively at his disciple, "Cool it, Genos," He did not like the blonde's hands were already burning hot, ready to fire and surely blast a huge gaping hole into his apartment. "It's not like that at all, " Saitama explained a smile reappearing on his face when Genos visibly calmed down and lowered his offenses. "This letter-" The self-proclaimed hero-for-fun then held up the letter to Genos' face and elaborated, "-is obviously from a girl," he finished calmly.  
"Huh?" Genos blinked, almost is bewilderment, "A girl, you say?" The cyborg then examined the letter closely. It was encased in a lovely, feminine pink envelope with a lilac-colored floral design at the edges. The flap was sealed shut by bright-red, heart-shaped sticker. "I see…" He felt relief from knowing that but that relief was instantly followed by confusion. "But sensei, why would you not want to open a letter for such a reason? Do you prefer me-?"  
Saitama stared at Genos blankly and interjected with a deadpanned tone," Don't even joke about that, dude." His expression then turned to normal as he explained, "This is my first and probably last letter from a fangirl. It feels like I should cherish it by never opening it." The bald hero then silently wondered if he should encase the letter in its own mini-shrine.  
Genos sweat dropped," But sensei…I'm sure that if she is a fan now, she will continue to write you letters…"  
Something visibly clicked inside of Saitama's head, "you're right! I'll read it then!"  
Genos faithfully sat down in front of his mentor and bowed his head," please read it aloud, sensei!"  
Saitama nodded as he peeled the sticker from the envelope's flap, flipped it open, and finally freed the letter from its encasement. "Here goes… Dear Chrome Dome-" Genos lifted his head and gasped as Saitama's eyes lit up angrily and his other free hand formed a fist, "WHAT KIND OF FANGIRL IS THIS?!"  
"Sensei, you must calm down or you'll ruin your first fan letter!"  
"You're right…" Saitama replied through gritted teeth as he glared down at the letter and continued to read in a hissing voice, "I mean, Saitama-sama…" his expression instantly returned to normal when it realized that the bald insult was a joke. "You probably don't remember me but it's me: Kagome." Both heroes froze at the mention of the sender's name.  
After a few moments of silence, Genos finally asked his mentor, "aren't you going to read her letter, Sensei?"  
The bald hero's face turned into a blank, almost incredulous expression, "She could have just told me in person."  
Genos rubbed his chin thoughtfully and speculated aloud, "Perhaps she has something on her mind that she cannot say to you in person."  
"This is Kagome we're talkin' about, right?" he asked before continuing, "She talks to me almost as much as you do. This is probably another prank of hers," he concluded dismissively, but while smiling fondly at the thought of her. The hero soon turned his attention back to the sheet of parchment in his hand. "You must be wondering why I'm writing to you," he read the next sentence. Ah. She hit the nail on the head without even being in the room. "Well, I've wanted to tell you something very important for a while now. We never seem to speak to each other properly for long and this is much easier for me than to face you in person… You see, it all started that day at the café…"  
And this Saitama read the letter aloud and allowed its contents to take him and Genos on a trip to the recent past…  
________________________________________  
Kagome sighed as she leaned against a shining, wooden counter. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared out at of large, glass windows with boredom. It was 1:00PM on a Wednesday and most people were still in classes or at work. Meanwhile, here she was, working the mid-day shift at a small cafe in the middle of downtown City Z. She was like the other young women who ran the grunt work of the establishment. They were all college students who needed some employment for tuition and other essentials. The job paid well for being an entry-level one. Her shifts were also tailored around her class schedule.  
The only two problems were how boring it could get during slow hours and…  
The familiar bell jingles of a customer entering the premises caught her and the rest of her colleague's attentions. She and the other young women exchanged challengingly glance for a brief moment. All of them were bored of out their minds and looked ready to duke it out for the opportunity to have something to do.  
However, Kagome was the quickest and beat the rest of the crew to the punch as she jumped over the counter to meet and greet their first customer in forty-four minutes. Kagome smiled brightly as she approached the door and coyly straightened her frilly, white apron. "Welcome, my Masters~" She giggled in voice so high and a manner so cutesy that the inner-Kagome inside of her head was bawling from embarrassment. "Table for-?"  
That was when she opened her eyes and noted how the customer were actually a pair of customers. Odd ones. One was a blonde, rather handsome cyborg while the other was a man clad in a ridiculous, yellow body suit. "two…?" She finished, her cutesy tone broke into one of uncertainty as the older man gave her a deadpan stare.  
"That's cringey," he stated bluntly before turning to his company. "Genos, why would you bring me here?!"  
The cyborg replied earnestly, "My apologies, sensei. I assume that treating you to a maid café would be to your liking since you seem to enjoy mang-"  
The yellow clad man then pointed directly at Kagome, to which she blinked as he shouted," Just because I like manga doesn't mean that I'm a pervert who likes things like this!" The young woman was dressed in traditionally black-and-white themed French maid uniform with the main dress being black and the white frilly hem of her petticoat reaching her mid-thighs. The black dress was complemented by shiny black dress shoes, white lacy stockings, and an intricately crafted headdress on top of the black crown of her head. Everything about the woman screamed moe and for Saitama, it was way over the top.  
That struck a nerve in the young woman. It was her turn for her eyes to be set ablaze. She swatted his finger away, causing the two men to turn their attention fully to her. The indignant maid then stood within less than a centimeter away from the offending man. She glared up at his fiercely and was not daunted by their height difference. "Even if you're not into moe, you have no right to be so rude about it!" She lectured him.  
"Say what now?" The manga fan asked blankly, wondering why this woman was seething at him.  
Normally anyone who dared to challenge his sensei would be met by Genos' protectiveness as his loyal disciple, but this small woman was an exception. There was something unintimidating about a beautiful young woman in a maid outfit-. But it could have been anything from her youthful face to her feminine curves…or her lack of height.  
Kagome visibly looked the man up and down. He was clad a tight, bright yellow body suit complete with red boots, gloves, a cape, and even some sort of special belt with a buckle. "Hmph," She huffed while continuing to glare, "You claim to not be a pervert but you walk around in public wearing that getup?" She asked pointedly. "I may be a cringey maid but at least I still have decency," she crossed her arms over chest and added, "baldy."  
A vein appeared on the man's forehead and Kagome smiled cattishly, satisfied that she struck a nerve. Then suddenly, it felt like time had stood completely still for her when she noticed how the man's perfectly bald head reflected the afternoon sunlight like a mirror. 'That head… It feels like I've seen it somewhere before' she thought to herself. But before any more words could be exchanged, the ground began to shake and her colleagues began to scream in terror.  
Kagome too squeaked when she lost her footing and fell to her butt unceremoniously. "What's going on here?!" She shouted over the booming and screaming of her colleagues as they ran out of the lobby and back towards the employee lounge.  
"Sensei," The blonde cyborg stated in a grave tone. "I detect a high-level energy just outside this establishment."  
The "sensei" nodded as he looked at his comrade while re-adjusting and tightening his red gloves, "Right. Let's take it out then find some real food."  
Kagome glowered at the man from her spot on the floor, "Are you implying that our food isn't real?!" The young woman briefly forgot that something possibly dangerous was about to occur. She could not stand this man who was casually insulting her and her workplace. Sure, it was an embarrassing job but she came to love it because of the friendships that she formed with her fellow maids, her manager, and even the regular customers.  
"Oh, you're still?" The yellow-clad baldly asked curiously as he turned to look at her fallen form. "It'll probably get dangerous so you should find somewhere to hide and be safe, "he told her calmly.  
Kagome blinked, taken aback by the man's sudden change in tone and attitude. She stared speechlessly as the two men exited through the front of the building to face to incoming danger head on. "What's with those two…?" She wondered aloud to no one in particular.  
(Outside)  
Saitama and Genos stared blankly at the creature who appeared before them several meters away from the maid café. "You've…got to be kidding me," Saitama said blankly.  
"It would seem that there are all sorts of monsters in this world, sensei."  
It was fuzzy, gray, and the size of a kitten.  
Actually, it was a kitten.  
The monster flew from the sky and landed gracefully in front of them on all-fours was a small, gray, and green-eyed kitten. "It's a cat," Saitama said in half bored, half disappointed tone as they watched it lick one of its paw then seemingly groom the hair on top of its head.  
"This cat is the source of the high level of energy though, "Genos pointed out, his face remaining serious and cold as he stared the creature down and awaited its attack.  
That was when the kitten stopped grooming itself and looked directly at them, "that is correct." It said in a ridiculously high-pitched, cute voice. "I am no ordinary kitten!" It announced as it stood on its hind legs. "I am-!"  
The creature's self-introduction was interrupted by a girlish coo and a cry of, "so adorable~!"  
"What?!" Genos asked as he and Saitama turned around to see the spit-fire maid from earlier standing a couple of meters away from them, her eyes visibly sparkling and her cheeks flushed in admiration for the cute creature. "She did not evacuate like you suggested, sensei!"  
"Ehhh…" Saitama said boredly while picking his nose and looking back at the "threat".  
"Ahem…" the kitten cleared its throat and continued to announce its presence, "as I was saying, I am Bad Kitty! A monster born from the regrets of a manga-loving, socially reclusive geek who never lost his virginity!"  
The brilliance in Kagome's eyes dulled as she asked sharply and looked at Saitama, "So you birthed this cat?"  
"Hey, don't lump me in the same category as hat thing!" Was his protest as he turned his full attention back to the young woman who stared at his pointedly, as if the entire situation was his fault. The bickering trio was unaware of how the now-angry cat creature was slowly growing in size behind them until it overshadowed them completely. The three of them turned around and looked up at the creature that was easily the size of skyscraper. Its cutesy façade seemed to have melted away as its muzzle extended and jutted out large canines and fangs. Its tiny paws were now adorned by claws the length of a street sign and as thick as a car.  
"STOP INTERRUPTING!" The creature roared furiously, "I AM BAD KITTY! AND I AM HERE TO (BEEP) GORGEOUS MAAAAAAAADS!"  
"Oh," Saitama said casually as he turned to smile at Kagome. "That's not so bad. Is he your type?"  
Kagome growled and shook her fist at the hero, "as if, PERVERT!"  
"YOU DARE IGNORE ME?!" Bad Kitty raged as he quickly swatted at them, his paw moving much quicker than what one would guess from his massive size. Genos and Saitama easily scattered and dodged the attack with the maid in the latter's arms.  
Saitama simply landed on top of a car with the maid in his arms, not caring too much that he muddied the sheen of its obvious recent wax job. "Here," he stated while easily setting the young woman down on her feet with one hand. She stared up at him with a dumbstruck expression and her lips ajar in awe. "You…saved me…" She pointed out.  
"Of course, it's my job. He replied calmly. "I'm a hero for fun after all."  
Kagome gasped softly and her eyes widened as the reason for this man's odd state of dress dawned upon, "I see… Well, thank you." She said in a small smile. Saitama blinked as he stared at her for a moment, wondering if her change in demeanor was because she found out that he was a hero.  
"Hey, Genos!" The bald hero called over to his disciple. "You mind taking care of this one for me?" He asked before gesturing to the maid still standing by his side, despite the imminent danger surrounding her. "This one needs babysitting."  
The blonde merely nodded and made a mad dash at the monstrous creature. Genos could tell by the look on Saitama's face that the man was not excited about this monster's presence and did not want to bother wasting time on it. Even though he was using the young woman as an excuse, this disciple saw right through his sensei's façade. Genos nodded to himself, finally, it was time to show his sensei and the world what he was made of!  
"Stand back, meido-san!" The cyborg shouted as he jumped in front of the cat creature to face it head on. He began to charge a massive amount of fire power," I will incinerate this-!"  
Before the enthused young man could complete his sentence, the giant cat creature flicked him away like an insect and bellowed at the sight of his metallic body crashing into the maid café not too far away. "You talk too much!"  
While Saitama did not look fazed or concerned for his comrade, the young maid openly did, "Oh no! He's been hurt!" she cried out as she run from his side and towards the direction of Genos' crash landing.  
"Oh boy…" Saitama mumbled when he saw the cat creature's sight turn to the maid who was running adjacent to him. "This one really does need babysitting." The yellow-suited hero then picked at and groomed his ear with a pinky.  
"Ahaha…" The creature bellowed as he bent down to peer inside of the huge gaping hole in the maid café. "You should be more concerned about yourself, girly…" The creature taunted as he spotted the petite woman kneeled beside a pile of rubble that buried Genos alive.  
Despite her fears, Kagome ignored the cackling monster as she threw brick up on brick aside until she unearthed the cyborg. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked with horror etched as clear as day across her face when she discovered the cyborg to be still alive but cracked and broken here and there.  
His eyes flickered but he opened them nonetheless, "You shouldn't be here…" He told as he attempted to sit up and regain his composure. "It's too dangerous for a civilian."  
Kagome frowned as she wrapped his arm around her shoulder and told him with determination in her voice, "civilian or not, I'm here to rescue you!"  
The blonde shook his head,"I am an S-rank class hero. It is my duty to protec-"  
Kagome glared at him, "Listen, buddy. It doesn't matter who registered as a hero or not in situations like this. People are supposed to help other!"  
Getting his head bitten off by the young woman seemed to have quieted down but the peace did not last long. As soon as she turned them around to escape, she came face-to-face with a gigantic claw. "Down!" She called as she pushed Genos to the floor and dove on top of him protectively. The blonde's eyes widened as his face was stuffed full of her ample, soft breasts. Too afraid to move from her current position and not knowing what to do next, Kagome laid there on top of her charge. This would have been the perfect time for them to be rescued by that yellow hero guy. "Jeez, where is that Sensei Baldy when you need-?!"  
Before she could complete her sentence, a loud sonic boom was heard from outside, followed by the sound of shower of squishy organs and blood raining down from the sky. "I'm guessing…we're saved…?" Kagome asked Genos but she paid him no mind since her attention was focused on the lanky figure who casually waltzed through the hole in the maid café. Kagome glared at him," you're slow."  
Saitama blinked when he saw the compromising position that Genos and Kagome were in. The maid was completely straddling the cyborg with her huge breasts smothering his face. "And you're fast," the bald hero replied nonchalantly.  
"What…?" Kagome blinked and cocked her head to the side for a moment, unsure of what he meant by that until she looked down and realized what she was doing… She shrieked as her face instantly turned bright red and she jumped to her feet, "I-It's not like that, you shameless pervert!" She exclaimed while waving her hands around frantically, "I was protecting him!"  
"Right…" Saitama replied before looking down at the cyborg who laid down scarily still and stiff on the floor, "Genos, buddy, you still alive? Did her boobs suffocate you?"  
"You really are a pervert!"  
He ignored the young woman's accusation as he peered over and down at Genos' face. He was indeed alive and breathing. However, something was clearly off about him as his eyes were wider than usual and his mouth was ajar. An unusual expression of shock seemed permanently plastered on his face. "Did you blow a gasket or something?" Saitama asked curiously.  
The cyborg suddenly blinked and was brought back to reality. He sat up and stated seriously, "Once again, my life has been saved by you, Saitama-sensei." He then turned his gaze upon the maid who was staring at him as worriedly as his sensei was. "And to you, meido-san, who risked her life to-"  
Kagome sighed and cut in, "Sorry to interrupt but my name is Kagome, not meido-san. Use that."  
Genos looked a bit taken aback and then nodded as he finished," Kagome-san, you risked your life to protect my own. Thank you."  
Saitama then scratched his cheek, "That's nice and all but can we go now? I'm starving."  
To Kagome's surprise, the cracked and broken cyborg got to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Yes, sensei," he replied dutifully, like a loyal dog. She guessed that he really did not need her help after all. She gasped sharply when the duo turned to leave.  
"HOLD IT!" She screamed as she desperately grabbed onto Saitama's cape to hold him back.  
The hero blinked as they turned and looked at her. "What now?" He asked. Of course. she was not strong enough to really hold him against his will but he was just the type of guy who rolled with it.  
Kagome hardened her expression and prayed that her face did not betray how she felt inside and portray her thoughts. "You can't leave yet!" She told him. "You need to help me repair the damages caused here!" She explained in a shaky, desperate tone.  
"Uhhh… Put it on my tab?" Saitama asked.  
"We don't do that here!"  
"Okay, goodbye!" He replied quickly as he turned away again, only to find that the woman tightened her grip on his cape.  
"You're not going anywhere!" Kagome huffed and gave his cape a yank, though it did not budge him in the slightest.  
The pang of hunger in his stomach meant that enough was enough.  
"Cut it out, we're busy!"  
"Please, Kagome-san," Genos began, trying to play mediator between the two. Never before had he seen anyone get under his sensei's skin so much in one sitting. This woman seemed more interactive with him than any other civilian. "My sensei is a very busy man-"  
"There's something that I need to talk to you about though!" Kagome insisted while giving the cape another tug.  
"Okay," within the blink of an eye Saitama turned around and had his hands on the hem of Kagome's apron. "Let's see how you like it." The superhuman hero gave the frail piece of cloth a tug. His state of annoyance seemed to have made him forget to hold back more because what he thought was a small tug had enough force to rip and tear off every piece of clothing that the young woman had one that day. "Oops," his face returned to normal as the air grew quiet.  
The young woman was left standing as in nothing but her black shoes and white maid headband. Her breath hitched in her throat as her brain struggled to keep up with the sensation that her body felt and the blurs that her eyes missed. It took four whole seconds her to register what had just happened…  
Kagome screamed and curled into a protective ball to save her decency, though it was far too late for her to save face with the two men who had seen her everything. "Y-You bastards! STOP LOOKING!" She seethed when she noticed that neither men tore their eyes away from her form.  
It was only then that Genos' faces flushed as he was brought back to reality and he covered his eyes, "I-I'm sorry, Kagome-san!"  
"Yeah, "Saitama added in a tone that did not sound sorry at all. It was a tone so casual that it felt uncaring. "My bad," he added.  
"Your BAD?!" Kagome seethed as she scooched herself into a corner when she spotted a crowd of nosy people beginning to form outside. "How am I supposed to go home like THIS?!" Her face was incredibly flushed as opposed to her lightly tanned skin. Her cheeks were puffed full of hot air as she pouted and glared at the man who seemed to infuriate her so.  
"Uhhh..." Saitama looked up at the ceiling for a moment before, "Good question," he commented.  
"Sensei," Genos began while making sure to avoid both Saitama's and Kagome's eyes, "We must do something. It would be very problematic if a young woman were to travel around in such a state."  
For a moment, the young woman squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, as if being unable to see and hear the two men would shut out the reality of the situation. It was an embarrassingly and unbelievable reality that she thought only happened in the ecchi anime that she sometimes found herself watching. 'This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn- Huh?' Her inner mantra was cut short by the sound of unbuckling, cloth flapping, and then the feeling of being covered in something soft.  
Her blue eyes shot open and she was surprised to find that she could not see the background of the café. It was nothing but a white cloth surrounding her. It was like being in bed, sitting beneath her cozy blankets. Kagome then shook her head and nuzzled her way out of the white depths. It was then that she found herself staring up at a cape-less Saitama.  
"You can borrow this," he concluded with a small smile and a surprisingly gentle pat to her head.  
Despite the hero's smile, Kagome frowned in return but accepted the offering. She hugged it tightly around her form like a curtain to hide her naked body from the world. She was so embarrassed that she felt like she was going to die right then and there. The young woman glared at the bald man whose face showed no remorse for shredding her uniform and leaving her in the nude in public. She pulled the cape closer and allowed the lower part of her face to sink into its depths.  
________________________________________  
"kind of nice" Saitama read the line casually, despite how intimate it was. "I didn't realize it back then but the scent of your cape made me feel so relaxed. It was a manly mixture of sweat, musk, battle, and you."  
Genos perked up at the description that she wrote of his sensei's cape. 'Manly scent… It is pheromones that attracts Kagome to sensei so…' he opened his notebook and began taking notes. He inwardly concluded that he would need to work hard to become as worthy of a man as his sensei was!  
"I know that it sounds weird but…" Saitama paused in his reading to criticize the writer. "If she knows that it sounds weird, then why write it?"  
Genos then placed his pen down onto the table and looked at his sensei, "It is because Kagome wants to share everything with you."  
Part of the reason why I was so angry is because everything you did that made me feel so flustered.  
From insulting my job to saving my life to ripping my clothes parts…I wasn't expecting any of it.  
You took me by surprise in a few minutes more than anyone else has in a long time.  
Honestly, I didn't know what to say, how to feel, or how to react, especially when...  
...you didn't seem to recognize me at all.  
________________________________________  
"Eh?" Kagome blinked as another blush spread across her cheeks, "You're taking me home too?!" She could not believe this guy! He had crossed so many lines with her today and now he thought that she would let him walk her home?!  
"I mean, even I would feel bad if I made a naked girl walk home alone," the bald hero explained with a small wave of his hand to emphasize his words.  
Genos nodded in agreement, finally ready to face the pair after he recollected his composure, "Kagome-san, Saitama-sensei is a great hero and could not live with himself if he did not see you home safely," he assured her with a balled up, iron fist that showed his vigor for praising his mentor.  
Kagome sweat dropped then gave Saitama a sideways glance of suspicion, "Is that true?"  
The interrogated then laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head, "Actually, I wanted to make sure that you give my cape back~" he admitted shamelessly.  
{SLAP!}  
Kagome stomped out of the café while clutching the cape close to her body and nearly breathing fire like a raging dragon. Her eye twitched with agitation at the thought of Genos getting her hopes up before getting let down by Saitama.  
The blonde cyborg outstretched his hand towards the young woman and called out, "Kagome-san!"  
She then growled and glared over her shoulder at the duo, "I'LL WALK MYSELF HOME, YOU JERKS!"  
For some reason, Genos found himself almost flinching at the insult directed at him. "I am…a jerk…?" He wondered beneath his breath. "Sensei, do you think that I-?" The cyborg blink before he noticed that this mentor was already down the block, walking not too far behind the seething young woman. "Ah, so sensei insists on seeing her home safely," he concluded. Before he had the chance to even consider joining them, an idea popped into his head and he quickly spun on his heels.  
There on the tile floor laid Kagome's maid uniform that was ripped into several pieces. The cyborg stooped over and collected each piece one by one, examining each of them closely before picking up the other. "They are salvageable," he told himself.  
________________________________________  
The two of them walked in silence with the woman walking a meter in front of the man. She kept her head down to avoid showing her face to the passersby who openly gawked and whispered to each other about how odd the two of them looked. One was a young woman wrapped in a white covering scattered, displaced maid costume accessories; the other was a man in yellow body suit and random heroic accessories. 'When is he going to stop following me?' Kagome thought begrudgingly, pouting internally and externally as she fought that urge to turn around and confront him head on. 'Shouldn't a hero have better things to do?!'  
Little did she know, the laidback hero who trailed behind her with his arms folded coolly behind his head was only thinking of what he should have for dinner tonight. He had no clue how far the woman lived from her work place but he hoped that it was not too much further.  
Oh.  
That gave him an idea.  
Kagome shrieked when she suddenly felt her feet lift off the ground, followed by the rest of her body. "H-Hey!" She cried as in one, swift movement, she was bounced from Saitama's hip to on top of his back. Despite her protest, she instinctively rested her hands on his shoulders. "What do you think you're doing now, Mister?!"  
Without turning to meet her gaze, which was most likely intense from the anger that she seemed to frequently suffer from, he replied while cupping his hands beneath her bottom. "Getting you home will be faster this way."  
"Hmph," Kagome huffed and looked away from him, even though he was not even looking at her. "You just want an excuse to touch me~" she half joked and half excused.  
"Even if that were true, it's not like you're protesting that much," he pointed out nonchalantly before changing the subject, "So…where to?"  
Kagome found herself feeling dazed and dizzy from the ride home. It literally went by in a blur and what usually was a forty-five-minute walk (one that she took to and from work to save money on transportation expenses) turned into a two-minute run. She shakily climbed off Saitama's back to unlock the door to her quaint campus apartment. She kept the key in her shoe at work.  
"Well…this is it…" She informed him while staring up at the man with a small blush on her cheeks.  
"But…this is a college apartment, isn't it?" He asked while following her inside without bothering asking for permission. He at least had the decency to remove his boots and left them by hers at the doorway.  
Kagome then stopped just short of entering her bedroom and asked back, "yeah, so what?"  
"…aren't you a high school girl?"  
"I'M TWENTY-ONE, YOU IDIOT!" She roared indignantly.  
"Oh." Was his curt reply, he was already used to her dangerously short temper. "What a baby-face."  
Kagome's expression then lit up before she batted her eyelashes cutely, "Glad you think so, Master~"  
This instantly caused Saitama's own face to go sour, "So cringe-worthy…"  
The maid huffed as she dropped her cutesy persona, "Jeez, you're so hard to please. Glad you're not a regular."  
Saitama then smiled and commented," I don't see how anyone could be turned on by that kind of act-" Kagome's cheeks instantly puffed with hot air. "You're actually a lot cuter when you're angry than when you act like that," he admitted with a friendly smile that caught Kagome off guard.  
Despite inwardly feeling happy that someone preferred a more realistic side of her to the act that she and her colleagues had to put on for the sake of the café's theme, Kagome attempted to glare at Saitama and asked, "Is that supposed to make me happy?"  
"Ah? It doesn't?" The hero asked in confused tone as he blinked at her.  
"No! What makes you think that?!" She huffed before retreating into her bedroom to get changed.  
'What a weird girl…' He thought to himself as he stood awkwardly in her small living/dining room. 'She smiled at me for the first time today, but claimed not to be happy.' The hero soon found himself rather bored while waiting for the woman to change out of his cape and into normal clothing. Her apartment really left nothing to look at. It was even blander than his, despite being a bit bigger.  
There were no photographs of family or friends hanging on the walls. There was no television for entertainment. There were not even any books, besides some a slightly disheveled stack of college textbooks sitting on top of her kotatsu. All in all, the lack of personalization to the space made it give off an almost melancholic vibe.  
"Sorry for the wait," Kagome said as she emerged from her room wearing a simple heather-gray T-Shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. "It took a while to find these," she said as she walked up to the hero with his cape folded neatly within her arms.  
"You took a long time…just to find that?" He asked while arching an eyebrow and staring down at her as she stood up on her tippy-toes to re-buckle his cape to his shoulders. From the few seconds that her body was pressed against his, he could smell a light scent of some sort of flower.  
He expected her to snap at him again but instead she laughed lightly and explained before backing away from him with an almost coy smile on her face, "Well, yeah…" she began while placing her hands behind her back and cupping them. Saitama noted how the woman's natural self really was much cuter than her maid façade. "I'm going back to work to see if I can clean it up a bit," she explained. "No one wants to do such dirty work in their nice clothes." 'Should I…ask him…?' she wondered inwardly, not noticing that the man bade her goodbye with a simple "See ya" and wave over his shoulder. It took a moment but she finally gathered up her courage and nodded to herself, 'I'll do it!'  
Kagome then turned around to face the hero, "Would you like to-…?" Seeing that she was alone in the apartment with her door left wide open. "…that guy…" She sighed.  
You suddenly took off without me noticing.  
I didn't get the chance to tell you what I wanted to back at the café.  
________________________________________  
Even though work had been scheduled for the day after the disaster, Kagome was informed that she did not have to go in since owner was still arranging how to go about rebuilding and repairing the damage done. Still, she found herself showing up at her workplace with a broom, dust pan, and a box of heavy duty trash bags. It was not that she enjoyed cleaning for free but she honestly had nothing else better to do, besides study. And with the events of yesterday pressing so hard on her mind, studying was not an option. She needed something to keep her mind numb and her hands busy.  
So there she was, sweeping up dusty and rubble in the warmth of another quiet afternoon all alone. Her colleagues who fled the scene as soon as danger seemed to approach had no clue what transpired or what even attacked them. They felt no obligation to show up and help clean. Last night she received an onslaught of phone calls and texts from worried coworkers, asking if she had escaped the café in one piece since she did not flee with them. Even though she was working for free and working alone, Kagome still found herself grateful that her fellow maids did leave as soon as the going got rough. 'The last thing that I need is for one of them to have been saved by Saitama too…' she thought absent-mindedly.  
The young woman was snapped from her thoughts at the sound of someone's foot stepping on and cracking some of the shattered glass on the ground. She turned around with her broom in hand and was actually quite surprised to find that it was none other than the blonde cyborg from the day before. "Oh, it's you, " she surmised, "What's up? Did you forget something?" She inquired as he approached her quietly with an almost intimidating, stony look on his face.  
"No, I did not," he responded before stopping right in front of her. "But you did," he added while presenting her with a small, cardboard box. Kagome looked unsure for a moment but reluctantly accepted the box from it. He nodded to her to open it and she nodded back before slowly lifting the lid.  
"Oh… Is this…?" She whispered as she stared down at what appeared to be her maid uniform for work. She sat the box down on the floor before raising the uniform up to look at it in its entirety. "My uniform?" She asked while looking at the cyborg, utterly confused about how he could have gotten her a new uniform when they had to be custom-made by their company's supplier.  
"I took the liberties of repairing it for you as thanks for protecting me, "Genos told her as he watched her examine and awe at his handiwork. "I hope it is to your liking, Kagome-san!" He exclaimed while giving her a deep but formal bow at his waist with his arms stiffly at his sides.  
To his surprise, the young woman laughed blissfully and nearly tackled him as she threw her arms around his neck in an appreciative embrace. "Thanks a bunch, Genos!" She chirped before pulling away to smile up at him sweetly.  
The cyborg ignored the odd feeling that he felt in his chest when he saw her smiling face. Somehow, it felt like she was glowing when she looked at him so fondly. "It is the least that I could do…" he insisted before tearing his gaze away from her. It felt as if he continued to look at her, he would find himself caught in a sort of hypnotic trace.  
"No really~" She added as her smile got wider and her eyes began to sparkle, "I was so angry yesterday because the company charges us for replacement uniforms!" She finally looked away from the cyborg to admire her newly repaired maid costume, "but this looks as good as new! I'm so impressed that you're so skilled at sewing!"  
Genos then nodded as he looked around the café and assessed the damage that was done to the place, "Do you need assistance in cleaning? I see that you are working alone."  
Kagome smiled and shook her head from side to side, "Nah, don't worry about it~ I only came here because I needed something to do." She placed her broom against a table and clapped her hands together, "but now that you're here, I'm not completely alone! Wanna do something?" She asked hopefully while staring up at Genos with wavering, puppy-like eyes.  
Genos rubbed his chin for a moment and looked thoughtful, "Well…I do need go grocery shopping for sensei and I. We are lowing short on-"  
Kagome gasped and jumped closer to him, almost nose-to-nose as she stared into his eyes with fists balled up near her chest, "You mean that you two live together?!" she asked in an overly shocked manner.  
The thoughtful expression on Genos' face changed back to his usual stoic one, "We do. It is more convenient for me to learn under sensei that way."  
Kagome's face then changed to a slightly pouty one as she sighed, "How nice…~" She gave a small, wistful smile before adding, "I'm a bit jealous~" before laughing at herself to disperse what could have turned into a depressing atmosphere.  
Being as straightforward as he was, the cyborg did not hesitate to ask out of sheer curiosity, "Are you jealous that I am living with Saitama-sensei?" The blonde's amber eyes readily connected to woman's blue eyes as he searched for an answer within the windows of her soul.  
However, as soon as their eyes met, Kagome's retreated to the side as her cheeks flushed, "Don't be ridiculous!" She said defensively, "It's just that I don't have a roommate living with me anymore!" She explained as she looked at the ground. "Sometimes, it gets a little lonely, that's all!" She added with giving him a half-hearted glare. Honestly, it was much easier to glare at Saitama than Genos. The cyborg felt more genuine and curious, like a puppy discovering the world for the first time.  
"I see," the cyborg replied while looking thoughtful once more. "Shall I ask if you can move in wit-?"  
"No-THANK YOU!" Kagome interjected while placing a hand up. "Let's just get out of here, okay?" She changed the subject immediately. The last thing she needed weighing on her mind was the thought of living with the two extremely attractive heroes.  
Genos nodded, willing to follow her lead just as quickly as he would his mentors, "Sure, let's. But let us depart for our apartment first, I need to do inventory of our current food stock."  
Kagome nodded and laughed lightly as she latched onto his arm in a chummy manner, unintentionally brushing her breasts against his exposed synthetic skin. She felt him stiffened a bit and waved her hand dismissively, "Come on now, Genos~ You don't have to be formal with me~" she told him sweetly, "I just call you Genos without an honorific after all so just relax~ We're friends, aren't we?"  
Their walk back to Saitama's and Genos' apartment was a pleasant and most comfortable one. The duo found themselves feeling more natural around each other than expected. For the first time in a long time, Kagome felt like she had a friend who she could laugh freely with. And for the first time in a long time, Genos felt like he was an ordinary human being. Their conversation most consisted of Kagome asking her new friend a question and him replying with a long, convoluted answer. The cyborg had quite the motor mouth, especially about Saitama, whom he adored and his past. But Kagome did not mind the chatter one bit; it was nice to have someone to talk with outside of work after all.  
The young woman found then began to notice that the two of them were leaving the "safe" side of the city and venturing deeper and deeper in a sector that she and no one who she knew before yesterday dared to go… It was a borderline slum with trash about, dark alleys, and many uninhabited homes. "Ehh…" Kagome laughed nervously, "Genos…do you two really live here?" She asked unsurely, being in this area of the city made her feel a bit uneasy, despite being with a hero. Her senses were tugging at her, telling her that something sinister was lurking about somewhere not far.  
Genos merely nodded and continued his long story about how he came to live with Saitama as he led her up the black, iron stairway to the front door. Kagome noted how he opened the door without unlocking it with a key and called as they stepped in, "Sensei, I brought a guest over!"  
Kagome felt a bit nervous being in the bald hero's home but curiously peeked from behind Genos' taller form nonetheless, "Hello, hello~ Look who's here~" she added in but tilted her head to the side when no one seemed to answer. "Aww, no one's home," she concluded as she followed Genos further into the more than humble abode.  
"It would seem that sensei had some errands of his own to take care of," Genos pointed out as he placed the box that held Kagome's uniform on the floor next to a moderately-sized bookcase that was filled to the brim with manga. "Would you mind waiting here while I check the kitchen?" He asked politely as he walked towards the kitchen area.  
Kagome shook her head and smiled, "Go ahead, I'll be fine~" she told him as she eyed the bookcase curiously. 'I wonder what type of manga he likes…' The blue-eyed woman then reached out and plucked a random one from the shelf. It appeared to be the average shounen genre manga. While she did enjoy reading those and watching their anime counterparts, Kagome was not here at the bookcase for her own entertainment. No… She was a woman a mission to find out-  
"What's this guy's kink?" She whispered to herself as she scanned the spines of each manga individually, searching for something that she could use. "Every manga geek has one…" she told herself. Hell. Even she had a fetish for kuudere-type characters and bishies. They were just so lovable!  
Sorry. In hindsight, maybe it was wrong of me to look through your manga collection without permission.  
Then again, you had it out in the open so it wasn't supposed to be private, right? Oh well. Too late now.  
I didn't realize it at the time but I was so curious about you for a reason.  
________________________________________  
The trip the supermarket turned out to be just as pleasant as their walk from the café to the apartment, if not even better. Genos explained to Kagome how much Saitama loved sales and saving money since he did not have much and she wholeheartedly agreed with him. She was no low-ranking hero, but she was the average university student: broken. "I am surprised that Sensei is not here himself. He usually the first one at the door when a sale is taking pace, "Genos pointed out while filling a plastic bag full of discounted leeks.  
Kagome nodded and smiled fondly as her eyes glanced over the prices of fruit that were adjacent to the vegetable section that Genos was taking care. The duo was nearly back-to-back as one grabbed vegetables and the other grabbed fruit and placed them into their shared shopping cart. "Hey, Genos…" she suddenly called. The cyborg turned around and saw the woman comically standing in front of the citrus section with a small tangerine in one hand and a luscious grapefruit in the other. She held the two fruit in front of her chest, as if comparing them to her breasts and asked with a determined look on her face, "What size does Saitama prefer?!"  
Genos sweat dropped, "I am unsure of how to answer that question…"  
To make matters even worse for the poor guy, Kagome then placed down the tangerine and picked up a cantaloupe, "Or could it be that he's the melon type?!"  
Time seemed to fly by much quicker with Genos' new friend than when he shopped or cooked alone. He was more than impressed about how having one extra person along for a task could change the entire atmosphere. Shopping that used to feel like a necessity if not a complete chore turned out…dare, he thought it…fun? Kagome was an oddball of the special variety. She had times where she was sweet and innocent, accidentally making his heart race with a small action like bumping into him while walking. There were other times where she was more impish but still in a cute way. All in all, the cyborg found him enjoying the time that they spent together.  
After hours of errands and cores, it was around 7PM at night and their dinner was just about ready for serving. Kagome's eyes sparkled at the sight of the hotpot simmering with slices of beef, eggs, and veggies. She wafted the heavenly aroma to her noise and made a humming sound of contentment,"Mmm, sukiyaki in late summer~ I feel so spoiled~!" She commented since sukiyaki was typically a winter dish. But the two agreed that their haul from the sale called for a dish that would do all of their procured treasures justice all at once.  
Genos nodded and added, "I'm sure that Sensei would appreciate a hearty meal like this as well. He should be home any minute now."  
Kagome smiled as an idea popped into her head, "that reminds me of one last thing that I want to do today! Come on, I need your help!" She urged the cyborg while taking his hand and all but dragging him out of the kitchen and into the living room.  
Genos looked down at Kagome with his usual expression and began to ask, "What is it that you need to-?"  
"Turn around for a minute," Kagome commanded but in a tone that did not come off as "bossy". The cyborg complied, despite being confused about how she could need his help while he did nothing but stand there and face the opposite direction. Genos, being a calculating as he was, set a sixty-second timer and waited patiently while staring at the wall as he watched the numbers inside of his head countdown to zero.  
Once the timer stopped, Genos turned around to look at his friend, "What is that you nee-?!" only to find that his eyes met the sight of Kagome's panties-covered rear-end. She was in nothing but her matching light-blue bra and panties and bent over to step into her maid uniform.  
Kagome's face immediately turned red as she yelled, "Wait, I'm not ready yet!"  
And as cruel fate would have it, the front door opened and in stepped Saitama in all of his yellow-suited, bald-headed glory. "Genos, I'm bac- …Ah." His expression, of course, was that pokerface that Kagome learned to be his mood-neutral one. His wide but blank eyes stared at the scene before him as Kagome and Genos stood frozen in place in an awkward silence. Kagome was still bent over, in nothing but her underwear while Genos stood dangerously close behind.  
From Saitama's perspective, he just walked in on something that was…  
"I-it's…" Kagome was the first to speak but her breath was caught in her throat. "-n-not…"  
Finally Genos recovered from the shock that seemed to override his systems and took over for her, "What she means to say is, it is not what it looks like Sensei," he informed his mentor calmly, "We are in this situation because Kagome was in dire need of my assistanc-"  
"Gross. That's enough, dude."  
"W-What?! It's really not what it looks liiiiiiiiiiikeeeee!"  
________________________________________  
What Kagome had hoped to be a peaceful, comfortable dinner for three turned out to be the exact opposite: it was so awkward, for her at least. While Genos did not seem bothered by what had just transpired, she was still quite flustered. It did not help that the bald man sitting directly across from her had been staring at her non-stop with that blank expression on his face during the entire meal. Even when he was shoveling food into his mouth, he was staring at her relentlessly with those big eyes of his. Even when she tested to see if he was staring at something behind her by scooting to the left and right, those eyes followed her where ever she went. It was so unnerving! She wished that if he had something to say that he would just come out and-  
"Oh." Finally, he spoke, a small smile replaced that unnerving blank stare. "You're that maid from yesterday: Kahuna!" He stated triumphantly, as if he just made an exciting discovery!  
Kagome slammed her head against the table before glaring at the man sitting across from her, "It's KAGOME, you idiot!"  
"Ohhhh, riiiiight," he replied while scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I knew that I've seen you from somewhere before but I couldn't put my finger on it." With that mystery finally solved, Saitama continued popping slices of savory beef into his mouth.  
"You can't be serious…?" Kagome glared at him with a deadpanned tone.  
"Do not worry, Kagome," Genos spoke up suddenly. "My Sensei here is a good man. He is just so preoccupied with his daily quotas that his memory fails him sometimes."  
"Well, to be honest," Saitama added as he eyed another slice of beef in the pots of goodies. Kagome huffed as she watched his chopsticks reach out to pluck the meat from the brew. The annoyed young woman reached over to the hotpot with her own chopsticks to thwart Saitama's plot of dominating all of the beef strips! "You look like a chick that I banged in a dream once," he said casually. Kagome's chopsticks stopped just short of the beef as she froze. "Oh, cool," he smiled while grabbing the forfeited piece of flesh. "More for me~"  
Genos noted Kagome's bright red face and incredulous expression and decided to step up for her, "Sensei, please. It is inappropriate to tease her like that at the dinner table."  
Kagome shook her head and crossed her arms, "Thanks but that's not it, Genos."  
"Oh? Then you are not upset about Sensei ruining the mood with his perverted humor?"  
The answer to the question even piqued Saitama's interested as he stopped picking over the vegetables to stare at Kagome as she played with a lock of her hair, feeling a little embarrassed under the scrutiny of the two men. "No, "She quickly with a small pout at her lips. "I'm upset that he thinks that it was a dream, "she admitted, her eyes settling on the shining table surface as heat rushed to her cheeks at the sound of the two men choking on and spitting out their meal.  
The confession even had Genos acting out of character, his pale cheeks now flushed bright red, his blonde hair standing on end, and his eyes widened, "S-S-Sensei, is this the truth?!"  
"Uhhhhh…" Saitama scratched his cheek while looking up and away, avoiding Genos' and Kagome's eyes as she did to them. "I guess…it's possible," he concluded with a smile, despite his shock and even hidden embarrassment.  
Kagome finally got the courage to look up from the table and at Saitama's face, she was grateful that he was not looking at her back this time. "We met before yesterday…" She said nervously, her voice wavering with embarrassment. Yes, she usually avoided embarrassing situations but this case was different and special to her. She needed to do this. "It was a bit over a year ago…" The two men fell silent as they listened to her story. "I was at a beach party with my friends. Of course, we're in college so a lot of people got drunk. Some jerk hit on me and got rejected so he took my key-ring and threw it into the ocean…"  
________________________________________  
['Dammit! Why is this happening to me?!' Kagome thought to herself miserably and angrily as she sloshed around in the frigid, dark waters, searching fruitlessly for her lost apartment key. Her so-called "friends" had long gone home or to a guy's house, leaving her on the beach alone well past 3AM. Despite being cold and wrinkly, Kagome's hands continued to search through salty water, sand, slimy weeds, and rock to find that familiar feel of jagged metal. Every minute or so, she would break the surface again to rest her arms and gasp for air. After what felt like hours of scrambling, she decided to call it quits. Her body was not going to tolerate the elements for much longer.  
Despite giving up on her futile attempts to find her key, Kagome did not return to her apartment yet. It was not like she could get in anyway. Instead, she opted to sit on the dock and watched the big, white moon command the dark waves to taunt her about her powerlessness. Suddenly, she knew what would make her feel even just a little bit better. The young woman got to her feet, balled up her fist, and screamed as loudly as she could into the silent night. She screamed and screamed out her frustrations and anger about the cruel hand that fate dealt her today.  
"Uh… Are you okay?" Came an unfamiliar, masculine voice from behind her.  
Kagome screamed again, but this time in fear and not anger, and jumped as she turned quickly to face the stranger, "W-Who are you?!" She asked nervously while looking the man up and down. He had a perfectly bald head that reflected the moonlight, an odd yellow body suit, and a cape. "A cosplayer?" she asked hopefully, silently praying that he was a nerd and not some random pervert.  
"Actually, I'm a hero for fun," He replied with a smile, "What are you doing out here so late? And why are you soaked?" he asked, a hint of concern was hidden within that curious tone.  
Kagome shook her head and shifted on her feet in an embarrassed manner, "I uh…lost my key in the sea.." she stated skittishly. It was far too personal to tell a stranger about how she was sexually harassed and that's how she ended up losing her key.  
"Oh," the stranger's face turned a blank one, "Well, that sucks."  
"Yeeeeeaah…" Kagome averted her eyes from him for a moment. That simple reply in that nonchalant tone made her feel awkward somehow.  
"Okay, wait here," he commanded nonchalantly. Before she had the chance to even ask him what he was going to do, the hero leapt so high into the air that his bright-yellow suit faded into the darkness of the night sky.  
"Uh..what?" She asked dumbly as she gawked up at the stars, wondering just what was going on.  
A few seconds later, the swooshing sound of air molecules parting as a high velocity figure dove into the sea. The impact was so great that Kagome was sent flying backwards a few feet but she managed to sea that for a moment, the sea had parted, revealing the sandy, rocky, and weedy floor. If she were not freezing her butt of from being soaked, the young woman would have thought that she was dreaming! Once again, before she had the chance to even process what happened, a red gloved hand took hold of her own and dropped her key into it with a simple, "Here~"  
Kagome looked up at the face of the total stranger who dive-punched the ocean to find her lost key. She was beyond astonished, almost speechless. She did not even care that his face was rather goofy looking when plastered onto that egg head of his. All that she knew that if she said nothing, it felt like her heart was going to jump right out of her chest. So she acted on her first impulse, which was to throw her arms around the neck of the man and pour heart out, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"  
"Eheh, no problem~ It's what I do," the hero replied while patting the small woman on the head like a child. "Now let's get you home, eh?" That said, the bald man showed her his strong back before squatting down.  
"O…okay…" She said unsurely as she climbed onto the stranger's back. Despite living in Z City all of her life, she had never met a hero in person before. While she did not necessarily expect for them all to be snobs, she also did not expect to find one that was so kind-hearted and sweet.  
"So…where to?" The bald man asked as he stood up to his full height with Kagome on his back.  
"Um…do you knew where Z University is?" She asked back.  
"Oh, so you're a college girl," He stated rhetorically as he took off into the night at a speed that was fast, but not fast enough to be put his new charge in danger of falling off. "You look a lot younger" he told her while making small talk.  
Kagome merely laughed into his ear, "Yeah, I get that a lot," she told him. She smiled at her reflection in his bald head. Her cheeks were a soft hue of pink and a content smile was on her face. This was definitely the best part of her day. 'I'm sure that not everyone gets the opportunity to spend time with a hero like this… I should make the best of it~' She told herself inwardly as her smile widened at her own thoughts. "Hey, hero?" She asked.  
"Hm?" He tried to turn his head and look at her but she clung too closely for there to be much room for movement. "What's up, kiddo?"  
Kagome found that it was easy to be open and honest about her feelings when he was unable to look at her face, "You've made my night amazing~ Thank you so much!"  
"Eheh, glad that I could be of service," He replied modestly, she could practically hear his smile.  
"May I ask a favor of you?" She pressed on.  
"Another favor?" He asked in a playful tone. "You're running up quite the tab, missy."  
Kagome merely giggled and gently squeezed his shoulders, "you'd have my eternal gratitude~."  
"Fine, fine," He sighed as if he were going to deny her request, even though she was sure that he would not have.  
"I've dreamed of being able to fly like a bird," She told him. "You're super strong. Wanna help me out?"  
"Eh," His tone turned a bit more serious. "That sounds a bit dangerous for a girl like you."  
"Oh, come on!" Kagome urged while playfully kicking her legs and lightly pushing on his backside.  
"O-Oi!" He called back at her, tightening his grip on thighs, showing that he was actually concerned about dropping her. "Don't be so pushy! I'm the one in charge here!"  
Kagome rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, "yeah, yeah. Big hero. Blah, blAHHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly in the middle of her mocking him, the bald man hurled her through the air like a professional American football player would.  
Meanwhile Saitama stood there for a moment, watching the young soar through the night air, "Ah…maybe I threw her too hard," he wondered as he watched her small body stay airborne for longer than expected. He shrugged before dashing and leaping into the air to save her life. To his surprise, instead of screaming in terror, the strange woman was laughing her ass off when she landed in his arms bridal-style.  
"T-that was awesome!" She exclaimed through her teary eyes and fits of her laughter. She wiped a tear away before smiling up at him. "You're the best!" She told him with a goofy, lop-sided smile, obviously drunk off of her adrenaline rush. Saitama merely stared down at her and laughed as well. "Oh… We're here," she blinked as they landed right in front of her apartment.  
"Yup, ride's over," he told her as he sat her down on her feet. He held out a gloved hand and smiled, "Now pay up, missy," he teased, obviously wanting to end their encounter on a light-hearted note.  
But Kagome was not ready for their encounter to end.  
"Sure," She whispered before quickly leaning up to the man and pressing her soft lips against his. To her surprise, his lips were warm and softer than she expected for a manly hero. And the rest was history…]  
________________________________________  
Saitama looked completely dumbfounded as Kagome stopped her story before getting into the dirty details,"…huh, so that night wasn't a dream… Weird."  
Kagome's dreamy-eyed expression instantly turned into a sour one, "You're the only weird one here…" she said sharply before eyes went aflame, "And stop eating all of the beef, dammit!"  
Genos sent a stern look to his mentor and nodded his head in agreement, "Kagome is right, Sensei. I have tallied your total number of meat strips consumed to be at twenty-two. Kagome and I only put thirty in the entire pot."  
"Okay, one more then," The bald-headed man stated while reaching for a final-  
Kagome dove across the table and slapped the hero's hand like a naughty child, "No more! Save some meat for me, dummy!"  
Genos sweat dropped in the background, "I think you mean, save some for us…"  
Saitama then turned into serious mode. His facial features becoming sharper and much more devilishly handsome. Kagome's breath hitched into her throat at the face. It was the face that remained the center of her wet dreams for months since that night. "I've got some meat saved for you right he-"  
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, you creep!" Kagome screamed with tears in her eyes and her cheeks dyed a deep red as she grabbed Saitama by the collar and shook him senseless, all the while he merely smiled widely and laughed at her expense. Meanwhile Genos watched the pair while taking the last eight pieces of beef for himself. His mentor was laughing in an oddly amused manner as the tiny woman shook him hard to break a normal person's neck. Seeing two people who he liked so much get along made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.  
To keep the good mood rolling, the cyborg urged his mentor and Kagome to try to recall more details about their first encounter. The answers from the two were nothing short of hilarious and embarrassing with the two of them taking shots at each other every chance that they could.  
"I was only going to make-out with him," Kagome said at one point in a matter-of-fact tone. "He's the one who got hard from a little kissing!" She laughed at the blank face that she received from Saitama.  
He then retorted in a monotone voice, "It doesn't take much to get your rocks off."  
"H-humph! Says the guy who thought he could please a girl with the pace of a half-dead turtle~"  
"Ah," Saitama paused for a moment. She had a point but there was a reasonable explanation for that, "you told me that it was your first ti-"  
Once again, Genos found himself choking on his dinner. Kagome was instantly at his side, holding up a cup of warm tea up to his lips and helping him wash down the half-masticated food. The raven-haired woman glared at Saitama who blinked and stared at his disciple with his mouth ajar and eyes wider than usual, "Woah, Genos, you okay?"  
"You idiot! That was too-much-information! You almost killed poor Genos!" Kagome scolded him while caressing the cyborg's pale cheek tenderly, a look of concern on her face.  
Perhaps it was all the talk of love-making that had went on but just the light touch of her dainty fingers against the cyborg's face sent electric pulses coursing throughout his body. He shivered and unintentionally leaned into her touch.  
"Ah, my bad, dude," came his mentor's reply.  
Once Kagome determined that the blonde was in no danger of asphyxiating on his meal, she promptly returned to shaking Saitama senseless.  
Yes, indeed. It was a wonderful sight to behold someone getting along with and appreciating his mentor as much as he did…  
…but it was also somehow oddly uncomfortable. Something about watching them made him feel a bit uneasy. 'I will ask Dr. Kuseno to check my wiring to make sure that nothing is malfunctioning.'  
Kagome had no idea how things led up to this but here she was in another odd situation. She was laying on her side in the darkness of a small, cramped living room. Her body was squeezed between her two male companions. Even after Saitama moved the table into the kitchen, the small living area was packed. Okay… There actually was enough place for all three of them to sleep on the floor with elbow room but somehow, night time seemed to be an especially magical time where everything went terribly wrong yet terribly right at the same time.  
At first Kagome could not sleep and laid awake on her back while staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. She spent a lot of time wondering what Saitama and Genos truly thought of her, especially after her confession of their meeting a year ago. At first, she thought that it would be awkward and Saitama would be creeped out that she wanted to get to know him further after that one-night stand. But the hero, nor pupil, seemed to mind her presence at all so she was unconsciously encouraged to stay a lot longer than she intended to.  
Even after telling you that we've met before, I still didn't get the chance to tell you everything that was weighing on my mind for an entire year.  
Like…for instance… I wanted to tell you about how much I regretted not ever asking for your name or getting a way to keep in touch with you.  
I searched and searched for you on the Hero's Association registry and found nothing. I was so confused and disappointed. Even if you didn't feel anything for me romantically, I still wanted to get to know you.  
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, her body naturally shifted uncomfortably as her bottom began to go numb. Instinctively, she turned to her left and laid on that side. Upon opening her eyes, she expected to see Genos' back about a half meter away but instead, she came face-to-face with the cyborg's sleeping …well, face. Her eyes widened as she blushed from their proximity. Sure, she was pretty friendly with him but she was not quite ready to be so close that she could feel his shallow breaths against her lips.  
The young woman shut her eyes and then decided to turn and lay on her right side, where Saitama was situated. 'Jeez, Genos… Thanks a lot,' she thought bitterly, not daring to open her eyes quite yet. 'You would end up so close to me like that!' It just was not fair! Even though she did not have any romantic feelings for the cyborg, she was still a young woman, ripen with desires and hormones and in her prime! She was not blind to how astonishingly attractive he was! When he was awake, and interacting with her, it was easy to be his pal and ignore ogling him. When he was sleeping so soundly so close to her…that was an entirely different story. Her mind left to wonder over what her body felt.  
"What's wrong? Stomach ache?"  
"Eh- Saitama?" She asked, cheeks flushing when her eyes open in response to the sudden voice. "You're awake?"  
His signature big eyed, blank stare was her only answer.  
"Oh, uh…" She stammered, realizing that he was waiting for an answer. "No, I just…can't sleep…"  
"Ah," he propped his head up using his elbow as he continued staring at her. "You're not thinking of jumping my bones again, are you?" He asked with a light-hearted smile.  
Kagome's face went beet red as she whisper-shouted, "A-As if! That was a one night thing!"  
It was only after the hero laughed that she realized that he was only messing with her again. He smiled and added, "Too bad~ I was looking forward to it too" he teased, expecting another cute reaction that he was becoming more and more fond of.  
Instead she took him by surprise by smiling impishly and placing a small hand on his hip, "Well, if you insist…" she trailed down to his inner thigh, "We can give it a go if you can be quiet~"  
"O-Oi!" The bald man protested in the quietest voice he could muster as for once; his own cheeks were dyed light shade of red as he glared at the evil young woman lying next to him. "That's playing dirty!" He told her before turning away to face the wall and hide his face. For a moment, he completely lost his usual composure and was actually flustered.  
Kagome merely giggled, not feeling bad about teasing one bit. It felt rather goodto get so deeply under his skin. But she decided to be nice and not pursue the matter, "Okay, okay~ I'm sorry~" she said in an appeasing pat him on the back gently to apologize. Though she would never admit it, she would have minded if something actually did happen between them in that moment.  
"Kagome, Sensei, I detect that your levels of dopamine, oxytocin, amongst other hormones are increasing at an abnormal rate. Shall I perform a physical exa-"  
"G-Go back to sleep, Genos!" Kagome commanded.  
Within in an instant, the cyborg was laying back down in his futon with an obedient, "Yes, ma'am."  
________________________________________  
It was another low-traffic, boring afternoon at Maid Paradise, Kagome's workplace. Despite early afternoons being slow, no one on shift was ever sent home early like workers in fast food companies. So here she was again, sitting unladylike on the front counter where customers came to pay for their meals before leaving, and chatting with her fellow maids about the usual: their favorite heroes. It was only after she reunited with Saitama that Kagome actually found the conversations interesting. Usually she spaced out and pretended to listen to the chatter by smiling and nodding her head in agreement to whatever someone said.  
Yuka, a young woman with bone-straight, shoulder-length black hair clapped her hands together as she gushed over the thought of her favorite hero, "I'm so glad that I was off last night! Amai-Mask appeared in a special interview on channel five yesterday!"  
Eri, a sweet-hearted woman with naturally wavy hair that Kagome found herself secretly envious of, nodded twice enthusiastically, "I know, right?! He's so beautiful and elegant- like a true prince~" Kagome sighed inwardly despite her outward brilliant smile, she wondered if anyone would ever bring up heroes who she actually cared about: Saitama and Genos. She visited them so often and sometimes stayed over for extended periods of time that she was borderline living with them. She did not need a top three favorite heroes when she already had two who she knew person-  
"Kagome-chan! Helloooooo? Are you going to answer?" Eri asked curiously while waving a hand in front of her colleague's face.  
Eri then pointed out and giggled when Kagome's face flushed in embarrassment at being caught spacing out, "I bet Kagome-chan got so caught up in the conversation that she daydreamed about her dreamboat~"  
The three young women squealed like high school girls at the thought of it. This caught the attention of the three other maids on duty: Koharu, Kagura, and Ayame and the seven maids formed a circle of young women leaning against counters, brooms, or sitting on buckets, chatting about their fantasies.  
"So Kagome-chan, who is it~?" Ayame asked in a sharp tone. "It better not be my Speedy Tail!"  
Yuka rolled her eyes at the red-haired, pig-tailed maid, "Oh can it. Kagome-chan isn't interested in your Koga guy," She told her while crossing her arms, "Not when heroes like AMAI-MASK EXISTS~!" She added in a dreamy voice.  
That was it.  
"Enough speaking up for me!" Kagome interjected. "I can speak for myself, thank you very much!"  
"Then do it already!" the rest of the maids yelled back at her collectively, causing her to wince at the sheer volume and pitch of their cacophony.  
"Fine…" She mumbled while tucking some of her long hair behind her ear. "My favorite heroes are…" She trailed off for a moment, a bead of sweat running down her forehead at the sight of her colleagues slowly inching towards her in anticipation. "…G-Genos and Saitama!"  
The café was quiet for a moment…  
"…who are they?" came the first whisper.  
'Crap…' it felt like a large weight crashed down onto her shoulders when Kagome realized that most people called their heroes by their assigned nicknames! "U-Uh…I mean uh… The Demon Cyborg and…"  
Kagome winced again when the group of maids shrieked in perfect unison, all of their eyes glowing brightly as they cupped their hands together.  
"The Demon Cyborg… He's so handsome~!"  
"And he looks so cool and collected all of the time!"  
"I wish he'd look at me with those sexy eyes!"  
Kagome huffed, as she did not get to finish telling them about how much she adored Saitama. The group of maids went off on a tangent about how cool and attracted Genos looked. As much as she too liked Genos. She still wanted to talk about… "SAITAMA IS THE COOLEST HERO OF ALL!" She suddenly screamed over everyone with her fists balled up passionately. She did not know what came over here but there it was: her heart on her sleeve. "HE'S STRONG, KIND, AND HANDSOME, EVEN IF HE'S BALD!"  
"B-Bald…?"  
"Saitama..?"  
"She can't mean Caped Baldy, can she?"  
"The rank leecher?"  
"Mou…" Kagome huffed but resisted the urge to stomp her feet childishly like she did with Saitama. "You should know not to judge someone by rumors before you get to know them! You should act more like adults!" She chastised them with inflated, reddened cheeks.  
Ayame smiled and poked Kagome's cheek, deflating the air that was puffing them up, "Look who's talkin', Mrs. Puff~" she teased and her fellow maids joined her for a collective laugh at Kagome's expense.  
________________________________________  
It was an oddly peaceful day in Z city today. No dangerous leveled threats were terrorizing the citizens like they usually did. No random villains crashing through the ceiling to challenge Saitama or Genos. It was a perfect day…too perfect. It was a nice, quiet day that mainly consisted of Saitama slouching around with a manga and Genos catching up on housework. All was calm and right until…  
{Knock, knock}  
The blonde cyborg peered at his mentor from the kitchen door, "Sensei, I believe that Kagome has come to visit us again." Genos stood there for a moment with a mop in hand before he heard another pair of soft knocks at the front door. "Shall I let her in, Sensei?"  
Saitama scratched his head before hopping to his feet, "Nah, it's cool. I got it." He felt like getting under her skin by making her knock at least two hundred times before he answered, but with how earnest Genos was…he would never be able to pull off that troll with his disciple around. "Yeah, yeah…" He almost groaned as he unlocked and opened the door.  
Kagome was still dressed her maid costume as she greeted him with an alluring, coy smile while squirming in a timid manner, "H-how…may I serve you today, Master?" She asked before slowing batting her eyelashes.  
For a moment, she felt victorious as he stared at her with wide eyes and slightly ajar lips…  
"…goodbye," was his reply as he moved to swing the door closed.  
"Wait, a sec!" Kagome shrieked as she threw her feet in the door at the last second. "I was kidding, jeez!"  
Saitama stared at Kagome with his blank, goofy face.  
Kagome stared at Saitama with her pouty, puffy face.  
Genos looked between them both with his typical, focused face.  
"Well? What is it this time?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You show up whenever you have a bad day."  
"H-Hey, not true!"  
"Sensei, she is correct. Kagome shows up good moods very often."  
Saitama looked uninterested as he picked his nose with one hand and held up his manga in the other.  
Kagome's pouted deepened, "I want you to come to Maid Paradise."  
"Nope," the bald man replied while turning a page.  
Genos held up his hand like a child in a classroom, "I am willing to visit your work place, Kagome."  
Kagome laughed sheepishly as her eyes shifted from side to side as she tried to think of the kindest way to put her next thought, "Well uh…I actually don't need you to come, Genos."  
Instantly, the cyborg deflated and his bangs shielded his eyes and he fell into a depression.  
"W-Well, that doesn't mean that I don't want you there though!" Kagome added in as her arms flailed about. "You're naturally invited if I invite Saitama!"  
Genos' head immediately lifted as he returned to normal rather quickly. When it came to Saitama and Kagome, this particular cyborg was easily pacified.  
Kagome then turned her attention back to Saitama, she clapped her hands together and smiled brightly, "So? How about it, Tama?" She put a sweet emphasis on the new nickname.  
The bald man did not seem phased by the nickname at all as he did not look up from his manga, "Genos can go. That place looks expensive. I'm not made of money."  
"…I'll make your entire meal free," Kagome said.  
"What day and time?!" He suddenly was on his feet with balled up fists.  
"Tomorrow, 1:30PM~" Kagome smiled as she made her own determined fists.  
"Sensei, you fell for her bait hook, line, and sinker."  
The maid then waved Genos off, "come on now~ All is fair in love and war! Let's go celebrate!"  
"Is today a special occasion?"  
"Of course! It's "Kagome Conquered Saitama Day"!"  
________________________________________  
"Eh… You okay?" Saitama asked Kagome, who was sitting on a stool next to him with deeply flushed cheeks and hazy eyes. When he saw the young woman wobbly from side to side, he placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her, "Oi! You had too much!"  
Kagome merely groaned as if she were tired before turning to her left to look at her companions. "I…did…NAWT!" She exclaimed in a slurred protest. "You're not having fun…?" She glared at him and pouted as usual.  
The bald man gently swished his drink around in his tiny, shot glass and replied, "Meh, ever since I became this strong, it takes a lot longer for me to get buzzed."  
Kagome frowned as she leaned over and wrapped her arm around Saitama's shoulder and whined, "Mou, superhumans like you are no fun!" She then looked beyond him over to Genos, who was sitting to Saitama's left and two stools away from her. "Nee, Genos… Are you as alcohol tolerant as Tama here?"  
The cyborg looked over at her, his normally pale cheeks had a slight red tinge to them, "As a cyborg, I too require a large amount of alcohol to become intoxicated, but it is not impossible."  
Kagome grinned cheekily at hearing that and leaned further on Saitama until her torso was sprawled across his lap. She ignored his signature "Oi!" that he used to get her attention or protest against her to give Genos a toothy smile and raise a toast to him with her ½ full shot glass.  
"That's what I like to hear~ Drink up with me! You're the best, Genos!" She encouraged him.  
That encouragement, praise, and smile was all that the blond needed to proceed tossing back shot after shot while the remained in Saitama's lap, clapping and cheering for the cyborg gleefully. "Go, Genos! Go!"  
"Are you even allowed to get drunk, dude? It won't scramble your circuits?"  
"…..I assure you that my body is strong enough to hiccup handle something as hiccup trivial as liquor."  
Kagome giggled and fist pumped the air, "That's the spirit, Geny! You're awesome!" She then looked up at Saitama's blank expression, "not like this stick in the mud," she added sourly while glowering at him.  
Saitama merely sighed and smiled while patting her head, "You're such a brat."  
Kagome pouted before laying her head down in his lap. The hero tensed when her cheek landed on a rather personal area. "Tama…can I ask you something?"  
"You're going to ask no matter what I say."  
"S-Sensei…hiccup…you should take it easy on he-ccup every once in a while…"  
Saitama gritted his teeth and glared at the blond, "Don't side with this brat!"  
"Saitama…" Kagome whispered while tugging on his shirt, successfully bring his attention back to her. "…i-is a citizen girl like me no good?" She asked in a soft voice. The hero-for-fun found himself almost speechless at the sight of her deep, tender-looking eyes.  
"Eh?"  
"Or do you prefer women who look more mature?" She asked with a small pout on her lips. She continued asking questions without waiting for answers, "Do you really hate my job that much? …Am I not girlfriend material to you? Would dating someone like me be too embarrassing?"  
For once Saitama felt caught off guard, even flustered. If his two companions were not wasted, they would have noticed that he was blushing the way Kagome usually was from his teasing. He looked left and right to make sure that no one was around to witness his embarrassment. Fortunately, the only other person inside of the small, adult lounge was the bartender, a much older gentleman who was too busy cleaning glasses to notice their conversation, or just "heard it all" before so didn't care.  
"I-Idiot, what are you going on about so suddenly?!" The hero asked as he pulled the woman off his lap with one hand and placed her back onto her stool. Despite his annoyance at her antics, he still had the heart to hold her steady by her shoulder.  
"Sensei…hiccup…" Genos completely turned his body so that it was facing Kagome and Saitama. His hands were resting on each leg as fists. Despite his red cheeks and occasional hiccups, Genos maintained his usual expression, "I too am curious about how you feel about Kagome. Please answer us."  
Kagome giggled as she slumped against Saitama again, "See~? Even Genos wants to know! Tell us, Tama~!"  
"Sensei, please…" The intoxicated cyborg began to imitate Kagome in whining to her way to victory.  
"Tama…" she tugged on his shirt. "Tama. Tama. Tama. Hey, Tama. Tammmmmaaaaaaaa."  
"Sensei. Sensei. Sensei. Sensei. Sensei." He tugged relentlessly at the other side of Saitama's shirt.  
Saitama found himself becoming more and more annoyed by the obnoxious duo who was double-teaming him into submission.  
"Taaammmaaa! Tammmmaaaa!"  
"Senseiiiiiiii. Seeeeeenseeeei."  
More and more angry veins popped out of his shining forehead.  
"ENOUGH, YOU IDIOTS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE THIS DAMN ANNOYING!"  
Genos then shrunk away with his head bowed in shame and dejection, "Y-Yes, Sensei…"  
Once his disciple was taken care of, Saitama then turned his attention to Kagome who was leaning her forehead against his shoulder, grumbling about something incoherently. "As for you!" He continued to yell while lifting her chin up by one thumb to force her eyes to meet his. His usual comical face suddenly transformed into a more serious and defined, chisel form. "You want to know?" He asked in a voice so low that it made Kagome shiver in delight. She nodded slowly as she was too entranced by his face to speak.  
Even in her drunken haze, Kagome instinctively leaned up closer to Saitama's face as his slowly closed the distance between them more and more. She closed her eyes and awaited the soft contact that she had no felt in a year.  
{DOINK!}  
Saitama flicked her forehead, causing the young woman to squeak in surprise. "H-Hey! You're such a tease!" She glared up at him as her eyes clearly burned with disappointment. She groaned and wobbled as he pulled her to her feet with one hand.  
"Time to go," He announced before looking at Genos, who was still lamenting over his mentor exploding at him, "You okay to walk, dude?"  
The cyborg attempted to nod his head affirmatively but instead ended up face planting onto the hard bar counter surface, creating a small crater in the marble.  
Saitama stared at his disciple with a blank expression, "…I'm not paying for that."  
Man… Kagome was a bad influence on Genos. Never before had the cyborg been such a pain in the ass.  
'But…it's become a lot more fun too…' The bald hero thought to himself as he tucked each of his companions beneath his armpits like sacks of potatoes. He looked down at the maid who grinned up at him with a large, toothy smile and smiled. 'You annoying girl…'  
________________________________________  
Saitama carefully laid (the passed-out) Kagome down onto the spare futon that Genos had purchased especially for her visits. He removed her frilly maid headband and then her dress shoes. 'Genos must be rubbing off on me,' he thought to himself when he noticed how he was working hard to make sure that she was comfortable. His dark eyes settled on her stock-covered legs… They looked skin tight and probably uncomfortable to sleep in. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he stared at her thighs. His fingers grabbed a loose hold of the hems of her stockings that clung tighter to her skin due to the light layer of sweat that coated her body from her intoxication.  
He mentally cursed his body's and memory's timing as his hands being so close to her nether regions brought back memories of that faithful. It was just not the hours of passion that came to his mind. It was scenes that seemed to have faded from his mind over time that suddenly flooded back to him…  
________________________________________  
[ The night was hot and sticky with the heat of summer and humidity of the summer. Superhuman abilities be damned. There was nothing worse than a sleepless summer night without air conditioning! Even sleeping naked did his body no justice. "It's HOT!" He shouted in frustration while kicking his hot futon away from him.  
'I need to cool off…'  
That thought led him to pulling on his uniform and heading towards the closest 24-hour store. He was dying for a popsicle! The bald hero even took his time strolling through the empty aisles to bask in the cool comfort of the air-conditioned, brightly lit store. It was not intentional but upon exiting the store, he happened to overhear the banter of a group of young men who was hanging around the store's entrance with clearly nothing to do but talk and talk.  
"So you struck out with that Higurashi chick, huh?"  
"Yeah," another replied in angry tone before he laughed, "But I got her back by throwing her keyring in the friggin ocean!"  
Saitama paused in his strides and licking of his treat to listen closer.  
"Wow, you're a dick!"  
"That's awesome!"  
"Ch'yeah, I know. And I heard that she has no roommate or family nearby so she's probably still out there at the beach looking for them!"  
"Didn't the tide come in by now?"  
"Oh…yeah… Oh well, maybe she drow-…"  
The young man then gulped nervously when he was suddenly overshadowed by a slightly older looking man with a look that could almost literally kill. "You…" Saitama nearly seethed as he placed his hand on the sweating guy's shoulder, "That girl you were talking about… Which beach is she on?"  
The young man looked around at his friends, who were all glaring at their unwelcomed guest, and suddenly felt confident that their numbers would keep him safe. "What's it to ya?!"  
In under sixty seconds, Saitama got the information that he needed and he took off in a mad dash in the direction of the beach. He left the group of college boys lying on the ground unconscious and bruised. His half-eaten popsicle was melting on top of the head of the man who boasted about taking revenge on a woman who rejected him…  
The hero would have preferred that the woman had gone somewhere else but the fact that she supposedly had nowhere to go unnerved him. He had to at least go and look! Within a matter of minutes, Saitama had arrived at the beach that the guys claimed to have been. The entire area that would have been covered in sand during the day was submerged already. He would have given up on searching until he heard a feminine voice screaming out in frustration.  
That was his cue.  
The hero jumped into the air and landed on a dock, the source of the angry screams. And there she was… A young girl in a light blue sundress decorated with a sunflower pattern. Her hair was long, dark and trickled down to her waist. "Uh… Are you okay? He asked her. It was actually pretty amusing to witness her nearly jump out of her skin as she turned to face him.  
It was one of the best nights that he had in a long time. Where he found no joy or excitement in fighting villains anymore, he somehow found a sort of warmth in the short time that he spent with this young woman- who he had mistaken for a high schooler. Ordinarily, he would have pegged her as obnoxious for being so familiar, demanding, and expecting of a complete stranger. But this one was different from most civilians.  
She took his claim to be a hero at face value and seemed to relish in it. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at him and she seemed thrilled to be around him. Best of all, she was appreciative of the favor that he had done for her. Saitama found himself smiling and complying to every request and demand that she asked of him. It was hard not doing what someone so cute and sweet wanted. After he let her experience what she called "flying", she clung to him even harder, though there was no way that she was hurting him or making him comfortable.  
"Hey, Hero…" The blue-eyed woman said to get his attention.  
He looked down at her, "Yeah?"  
"This was the best night ever~" She told him while smiling brightly. "I'll always appreciate what you've done for me! You took the time to help someone like me…" She trailed off for a moment before beaming again. "Thanks again. I love you~!"  
His eyes widened and he looked up ahead of him to hide his pink tinted cheeks. "Anytime," he replied, trying to sound cool and retain her positive image of him. He decided to forgive her for being so bratty and not hiding that she was sniffing him while in his arms.]  
________________________________________  
Saitama smiled fondly at the memory as he peeled and pulled the slightly damp stockings down from her legs and carelessly tossed them away. Genos, who had already recovered from his bout of intoxication, dutifully collected the pieces of Kagome's costume that his mentor discarded without much thought. For once, the cyborg did not speak his mind. He silently watched his teacher take care of the young with a hidden fascination. It did not take a genius like Dr. Kuseno to deduct that even though he did not care to show it directly, Saitama was just as smitten with Kagome as she was with him.  
The blond then placed a hand to his breast plate and left it there. 'What is this tightness that I am feeling?' He wondered as Saitama finally tucked Kagome neatly into her futon. 'My body has been experiencing very peculiar symptoms as of late. Perhaps I am in need of another maintenance.' After deciding to check-in with his doctor and father-figure, Genos proceeded to head to bathroom to hand wash Kagome's sweaty stockings.  
________________________________________  
Kagome slowly blinked her blurred vision away. She was staring up at a familiar ceiling: the one in Saitama's and Genos' living room. 'Why…am I here…?' She thought to herself before groaning at an intense pain in her head. "Tama…" she groaned out while sitting up slowly in her futon. "Genos?" She looked around and listened for the sound of anyone but discovered the apartment to be empty. "Oh… Huh…?" She blinked and noticed a plate sitting on the small dining table. The achy woman crawled across the small floor space.  
A piece of paper that was folded in half to form a tent-shaped note that stood on its own was sitting there. "My name is written on it…" She said to herself. She flipped the note open and read it, "Kagome, you're a light weight. Saitama." Her eye twitched and read a second part to the note, "I left you some pain medication, herbal tea, and lunch in the refrigerator. I took the liberty of calling your manager and told him that you needed the day off. I hope that you recover from your imminent hangover. Genos." She smiled at the note before heading to the kitchen to eat her lunch.  
'Oh…it's 5 already…' She thought to herself with wide eyes. 'How long was I sleeping?!' The young woman would have been freaking out over missing work but she trusted that Genos handled those affairs for her. She did not remember much about the night before besides that she promised to treat her two best friends to a meal at Maid Paradise. 'I guess we need to reschedule that…' she thought to herself. 'Oh well.' With a shrug, she decided to make the most of her evening off~ She drew herself a hot bath and decided to relax before getting started on dinner.  
'Maybe I should go all out tonight to thank them for taking care of me again,' she mused before sinking beneath the surface of the water. 'Yeah, Saitama has been working hard lately… I'll help him out~"  
A few hours later the heroic duo finally returned home after a long, drawn-out meeting for S classed heroes that Saitama was once again dragged into it. The bald hero spent the majority of the meeting spacing out and tapping his foot anxiously, as if he had Restless Leg Syndrome. "Genos, next time there's a meeting you S ranks…don't invite me," he commanded as the cyborg followed his idol into their apartment.  
The blond bowed his head respectfully while closing his eyes, "Yes, Sensei. My apologies. I assumed th-"  
Saitama held up a gloved hand to signal his pupil to be silent. "Hold that thought- What's that smell?"  
Genos closed his eyes and inhaled the lovely aroma filling the room, "I believe that Kagome has dinner prepared." His eyes shot open at the sound of an overly confident, feminine laugh.  
There in the kitchen door stood Kagome with a triumphant, almost cocky grin on her face and her hands on her hips. "It's not just dinner, my dear Genos~ It's our feast!" She announced with pride.  
Instead of smiling and thanking her for being a sweetheart like she had envisioned, Saitama glowered at her as he walked towards the kitchen, "Oiiii…" he grumbled, "Is that my favorite hoodie?!"  
She blinked and looked down at her attire: a baseball styled gray and red hoodie complete with the word "OPPAI" and a pair of cartoony breasts imprinted on the front. "Yeah," she replied innocently before tilting her head to the side, "Why?"  
Saitama stood straight and tall above her to emphasize their difference in height and build. He placed his hands on his hips as he frowned down at her and scolded, "I get that we're close but aren't you getting too cozy around here?"  
Kagome returned his glare with one of her own and a small pout, "well, my uniform was dirty and I didn't have a change of clothes."  
"You could have called," The bald man insisted, raising his voice slightly and adding a bit of sternness to his tone. "You always seem to find a way to reach me. Now bow your head, "he commanded as his face became more serious.  
Genos frowned, feeling concerned about the situation that was unfolding in front of him. "S-Sensei, I think that scolding her is good enough! He spoke up from his spot a few meters away from them.  
Saitama looked over at his pupil, his face still serious, "You being soft on her only enables her," he pointed out, causing Genos' eyes to wide before he shrunk away to mull over his sensei's words. "Brace yourself, Kagome."  
The young woman shut her eyes and kept her head bowed as she waited for the impact: a bop on the head, a flick to her forehead, or a pinching of her cheeks- she was used to Saitama "punishing" her with things like that whenever she "crossed the line". For a moment, there was nothing but silence until she finally felt a strong hand rubbing the top of her head gently. "Permission to use granted."  
"!" Kagome's eyes shot open along with her mouth as she tried to express her frustration in being misled but the playful smile on Saitama's face left her with nothing words caught in her throat.  
"Dinner's in here, right?" Saitama asked curiously while attempting to walk past Kagome to enter the kitchen. He was halted by a small hand clutching his sleeve. He looked down at the small woman whose cheeks were red and eyes stared up at him, as big and wide as a doe's.  
"You two just relax at the table," Kagome's blushed intensified as she spoke. "Tonight, is entirely on me!" She told him while giving her chest a light thump of her fist.  
"Okay," He gave in easily, feeling lazy after a long, boring day anyway. "What's on the menu?"  
"You'll see~" She chimed while skipping happily into the kitchen, the slight raising of her legs giving Saitama a glimpse of her pink, silky panties. Saitama twitched and immediately turned away to sit at the dining table across from Genos.  
After a couple of minutes of Kagome scurrying hastily back and forth between the kitchen and the dinner table, the feast was finally spread across the center of the table. Saitama stared at the assortment of dishes with wide eyed, blank face. "There we go~ We can start now!" She announced after setting a whole, baked chicken down in front of Genos.  
"What are you up to?" Saitama asked while raising an eyebrow suspiciously at her.  
"Sensei, I believe that Kagome is simply trying to do kind deed for us," Genos chimed in.  
"That's right~ I'm just that type of person~" Kagome beamed at her blond friend.  
"Traitor," Saitama mumbled as he began filling his plate with a bit of everything.  
"Quiet, you~" Kagome nearly sang as she watched her friends all of her dishes. Sure, she spent more than she normally would on food today but it was worth it! She really wanted to spoil them for all of the times that they indulged her and her antics~  
"May I have something to drink?" Saitama suddenly asked while looking at her.  
"Eh- Right! I forgot the tea!" She exclaimed while lightly bonking herself on the head. "I'll be right back, okay~?" She asked rhetorically while jumping to her feet and scampering back into the kitchen to fetch their beverages. Meanwhile Genos silently analyzed his sensei's actions as the bald man openly stared at the woman as she exited and re-entered the room with a tray in her hands. "Sorry the wait~" She apologized with a smile as she placed three cups on the table and began distributing the tea.  
"Kagome," Genos suddenly called for her attention as she handed Saitama his cup.  
"Hm?" She simply asked, smiling down at the cup but still actively listening to the cyborg.  
"I analyzed Sensei's behavioral and biological patterns and have concluded that he is most stimulated when you are in his clothing," He stated informatively and rather bluntly as he accepted his cup of tea.  
"Sppfft!" Saitama spat his tea out as Kagome's eyes lit her up and she cupped her hands. "G-Genos!" the exposed hero protested while throwing his follower a warning glare.  
"Is that so?" She asked in awe. She then turned to look at Saitama with a cattish smile, "So that's your kink, huh~?" She teased while giggling behind her hand.  
"It is not, b-baka!" The bald man stammered a bit as he looked away, trying to hide his blush.  
"On the contrary, Sensei," Genos interjected. "I observed that youhave stared at her 350% more than usual tonight. Your heart rate has also accelerated mor-"  
"Genos…" Saitama mumbled in a dark tone as his facial expression became grave. "Do you want to be punched?" He asked in a deep voice.  
Genos sweated a bit and looked a bit startled, "No, Sensei-!"  
Kagome laughed as she leaned over and patted Saitama's shoulder, "Don't worry, Tama~" she said in reassuring tone, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"  
"I am not emb-!"  
She then placed her hands on her cheeks, blushing a bit as she smiled affectionately. A sparkly background appearing as she added, "It's okay to love me~"  
Genos raised his and voiced his opinion, "I concur! Sensei and Kagome would make a great cou-"  
Before the two continue double-teaming him, the bald man grabbed one of their cheeks with each hand and gave them both a slight pinch, "Cut it out, you two. Your alliance needs to end here and now."  
Kagome groaned as she rubbed her reddened cheek, "Jeez, you need to learn to take a joke, Tama!"  
Saitama replied bluntly, "You may say that but Genos, here," he gestured at the cyborg with his thumb, "Is dead serious. I don't even knowif he's capable of joking."  
"Actually, Dr. Kuseno has used his genius to ensure that I am capable of all ordinary human activities, including humorous endeavors," Genos explained while raising a finger. "Observe. Knock, knock."  
Kagome beamed and played along, "Who's there~?"  
"I am," He concluded, his voice and face as calm as ever.  
Kagome faltered as Saitama sweatdropped and stated," I don't think that's how that works, dude."  
Kagome gave her best considerate laugh before she noticed Saitama chewing on a baked chicken leg…and the boney remains of the other leg sitting on his plate. "Hey now! I wanted the other leg, Tama!" She exclaimed with almost watery eyes.  
"Oops."  
"No, oops! You always hog- Oomph!" Her complaining was cut short by Saitama casually pushing the remainder of the leg into her mouth. She glared at him but chewed on it, instantly feeling satisfied by the gesture.  
Genos watched the scene unfold with a small smile. Once again, he found that he was touched that his sensei had found someone who cared about him and who he obviously cared for in return. He almost pointed out how Saitama was a bit of hypocrite with how he scolded his follower for always pampering this young woman when he too was always quick to give into her blue eyes. Still…his chest felt oddly tight despite that all of his systems were green and functioning properly.  
________________________________________  
I know that I wormed my way into your lives.  
I know that acted informally with you right away, without really having the right to.  
I know that I took advantage of your kindness so many times.  
But I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, honestly.  
I was just acting on my feelings and listening to my heart.  
And my heart told me that I wanted to be with you.  
Saitama grew silent as he continued reading the end of the letter in his head as it became more and more intimate. Nothing in the letter was particularly shocking or eye-opening to him, but he pressed on and read it in its entirety.  
I noticed that lately our relationship has become a bit ambiguous.  
I don't know if you feel the way but that's how it feels to me.  
I'm probably being presumptuous but…  
I feel like you might feel the same way that I do.  
But you've been holding back while I've been pushing forward.  
I'm sorry for acting so selfishly and nothing of what you want more often.  
The hero stiffened as he read the next part of the letter. He did not expect her to be so observant and to know him so well… 'I should have known that she'd know me… She's been watching me all of this time.'  
I wonder if you're holding back because you're afraid of dragging me into danger.  
Or maybe you're holding back because you don't want to hurt Genos…  
Don't worry. I feel the same way.  
I love Genos too. I don't want to see him hurt either.  
So I feel uneasy about moving forward sometimes, knowing how he feels about me.  
You two are so sweet together. Genos is my little cinnamon roll and you're my /u/ !  
Saitama stifled a laugh at Kagome's use of a cute emoji instead of an actual noun to describe him.  
I don't to ruin your friendship.  
So that's why I decided to move on.  
"…" Saitama was unaware of how his face visibly paled. Genos however detected his massive fluctuation in heart rate. "That…idiot..." He whispered, feeling an intense concoction emotions that no one person ever elicited from him at once.  
You know how I just graduated last week, right?  
Well, I decided that I'm going to start my life anew somewhere~  
I'm not sure where I'll go or what I'll do yet but I'm sure that it'll be fun~  
I got the feeling that you two would try to stop me so that's why I'm telling this via letter.  
First… Let me say what I wanted to on the day of our reunion…  
"Genos…" Saitama whispered, "I'll be back. Take care of lunch while I'm gone."  
"Wait, Sensei," The cyborg suddenly called out as his mentor opened the front door.  
"What's up? I'm in a hurry," Saitama blinked and asked curiously.  
"You and Kagome…don't have to be considerate of me," the young man stated. "Besides Dr. Kuseno, you two are the most important people in the world to me… Ever since I lost my family, I thought that I was alone-"  
"Twenty words or less, dude."  
"R-Right!" Genos gave his sensei a thumbs-up, "Go get her." Before adding a small smirk appear on his face, "But just know that I will work hard to catch up to your strength and I will steal her away."  
Saitama merely smiled at the cyborg and half joked, half challenged with a thumbs-up of his own, "We'll see about that." And with that, he took off in a rush towards the train station. According to the letter that she had written a few days prior, he had about an hour before her train arrived. 'Kagome, I'm coming.'  
Did I ever get to ask you if you were embarrassed to date a civilian?  
'You did. You were just too drunk to remember.' The hero raced until he was out on a busy street with countless vehicles zooming by. He easily leaped from car roof to car roof as he rushed around the city to find Kagome. His first destination was the train station to check if she may have gone there early.  
Hehheh, I know that I'm probably too weak to stand by your side.  
But if you'd let me, I would be, forever and ever.  
'What do you think I've been doing all of this time, baka?' He mentally asked her, as if she could hear his thought from where ever she was.  
If only I could travel back in time*, I'd go and relive these years all over again.  
You'd think that I would told you how I felt after all of this time.  
Even though I acted confident and flirted with you a lot, I was still nervous about it.  
The truth is…  
Saitama grunted as his eyes scanned left, right, up, and down and he searched high and low for Kagome in the crowds upon crowds of busy commuters. It did not help that she was a bit short for her age!  
Saitama, I'm your biggest fan.  
I've absolutely adored you ever since the night that we first met.  
________________________________________  
Kagome sighed as she sat idly on the dock where she first met Saitama. The tides were low so her legs that swung over the edge of the platform could not reach the surface of the water. Sitting next to her was her small suitcase of her essential worldly belongings: some clothing and other personal items. She smiled wistfully down at the strip of photos from a photo booth that she, Saitama, and Genos once squeezed into after she gave them her infamous puppy eyes. Her blues eyes misted up before tears pelted the slick surface of the photos one by one.  
The top photo was a normal one where Kagome smiled brightly; Saitama yawned; and Genos stared directly at the lens calmly. The second photo asked them to act surprise: Kagome placed her hands on her cheeks and opened her mouth to simulate "The Scream"; Saitama's face had big, bulging eyes; and Genos stared at the lens calmly. The next one the machine instructed them to make silly faces so Saitama crossed his eyes while Kagome grabbed the edges of Genos' mouth and stretched them out into a huge, creepy smile as she stuck her tongue playfully. Finally, Kagome's face was complete red as her companions who were sitting on each side of her both kissed her cheeks, as the machine suddenly instructed.  
'At least…I'll always have this. I'll be able to see their faces every day,' She comforted herself inwardly before a cruel, powerful gust of sea wind swooped in and snatched the photo strip free from her hand. "Eh?! No!" She shouted as she stared in shock at her souvenir danced happily as it was carried up and away by the wind. "You gotta be kidding me!" She shouted while stomping her feet. For a moment, she was angry…but that anger was soon replaced by a wave of sorrow. It did not matter if anyone saw or heard her. She wept openly and loudly. Her hands covered her eyes but those small hands could not hide the endless trails of tears that poured that streamed down her face. 'Why is it that I only feel lucky when I'm with Saitama and Genos?' She asked the gods miserably.  
"Jeez, you really ought to take better care of your things," a familiar voice said calmly from behind her.  
'No way-' Her midnight sky colored hair cascaded around her as she whipped to face the voice head on. "Sai…tama…" She whispered as her red, puffy eyes stared at him in disbelief. It felt like she was dreaming, just as on that fateful night. But it was real, and so was he.  
Saitama shook his head at her while smiling and holding up her precious photo strip between two fingers, "You want it, don't you?" She nodded quietly while wiping her tears away as he approached her. He smiled warmly as he held her precious souvenir out to her. Kagome gave a small, watery smile as her hand slowly reached for-  
"Eek!"  
{SPLASH}  
Kagome gasped for air as she resurfaced then cringed at the taste of salty water in her mouth. She glared up at the hero who was standing at the edge of the dock, smiling casually at her. "What was that for, you jerk?!" She shouted as she extended her arm towards him. He complied and reached down to grab her hand and pull her back onto the dock with ease.  
"That was punishment for being stupid," He replied simply while grabbing her suitcase and walking away from her.  
Kagome huffed and glared at his back before running to catch up to him, "What do you mean stupid?!"  
"Well," The egg head explained, "You left a runaway note and told exactly when you'd be running away. You were practically begging to be caught."  
Her cheeks darkened as she retorted, "I was not! I was just…I didn't think that you'd come looking for me…" her voice trailed off as she stared at the ground.  
But it's not just that one night that I'm talking about.  
I'm grateful for all of the time that you've spent with me.  
I'm grateful for all of the times that let me stay with you with no questions asked.  
I'm grateful for how many times you've walked me home from work.  
All of it…everything that you could possibly think of- I'm grateful for.  
Saitama looked up at the sky to avoid her gaze, even though she was walking behind him with her head down. "Well uh…" He began, not realizing that he was blushing a bit as he spoke, "How could I just let you go after you sent me that letter?" Kagome groaned aloud as she covered her face with her hands. "Besides I still owe you an ass-kicking on Manlio Kart** for all the times you cheated," he added.  
"I did not cheat! You just suck ass at steering!"  
I'm grateful to the gods for allowing me to meet you.  
Saitama…you're…  
"Ahhhh," The bald man suddenly sighed aloud. "You walk too slowly," he said before crouching down to the ground. "Hop on. We need to get you dry quickly or you'll catch a cold."  
Kagome raised an eyebrow, "even though you're the one who got me all wet in the first place?" she asked while climbing onto his back.  
He grinned cheekily over his shoulder at her and teased, "Hot."For setting herself up for that jole, he smiled inwardly and once again, forgave her for blatantly inhaling his scent and sighing deeply, as if she was drunk off of him.  
"Oh, shut up, baldy!" Kagome huffed before laughed when he threatened to throw her off if she said that one more time. "There's no way that you'd seriously let me get hurt so I'm not afraid~"  
"What makes you so sure?" He asked while glaring up ahead, still annoyed at being called bald.  
The woman on his back tightened her grip around his neck as she leaned close to his ear. The light feeling of her breath sent delicious tingles down his spine. "Because," she whispered, "you're my hero…"  
________________________________________  
[Omake]  
"Uh… Tama… what's going on here?"? Kagome asked as she blinked down at the single futon laying in the middle of the living room floor. "Where's Genos?" She questioned while propping open her suitcase to find some dry clothes to wear.  
"Oh, I found a note," He said casually.  
"What does it say?" She asked, temporarily abandoning her clothes to stand by Saitama's side.  
"Sensei, Kagome… I have prepared a futon for you, fore I presume that you will want to copulate upon your return. The lunch that you requested is in the refrigerator. I will return by 6PM to give you enough time… Genos." Saitama's eye twitched as he finished reading. "That guy-… Ah?"  
Kagome nibbled on her bottom lip cutely as she stared up at him with seductively timid eyes, "Well, if that's what you want," she whispered as she closed her eyes and leaned up towards her hero's face- "Kyaa!" -only to have Saitama hold her back with one finger to her forehead. "Hey! We have his permission, baka!" She exclaimed while pouting.  
Saitama stifled a laugh before he smiled at her regardless, "You're such a dork."  
"That's my line!" She pouted while crossing her arms. "You know you want me," she mumbled.  
"Do you want me to break your back that badly?" He asked, tilting his egg-shaped head with a goofy face on.  
Kagome pretended to mull over the question for a moment... "Maybe…"  
"Fine," Saitama replied, giving into that youthful, sweet face that he came to love. He crossed his arms and stated firmly, "But first, you must service me to prove how badly you want it."  
Kagome nodded enthusiastically as she began to unzip his body suit to reveal his muscular physique. "Yes, Master~" She replied submissively as she got onto her knees and set his hot rod free.  
Saitama's serious face almost broke as he felt himself twitch and stand at attention after hearing her say that. 'Okay…' he admitted to himself. 'That was hot.'

**Author's Note:**

> * Did I succeed in irony? ( o u o)' cause that's what I was aiming for...  
> **This was a shameless reference to the hilarious game in Limitless Musing's "Kazoku" : s/11621063/1/Kazoku  
> *** This may have been better as a series of smaller drabbles buuuuuut since I don't know how long I'll be actively writing, I just went for a longer, one-shot ~  
> I probably ruined the cute ending that I was aiming for with this omake…but oh well. can't fight the right side of my brain!  
> I hope you all enjoy reading~ If enough people ask for it, I'll write the sequel that I've been thinking of ~  
> If not, oh well! I had a blast just writing this one ^ u ^


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